Compositions relating to anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides compositions and methods relating to antigen binding proteins against IL-21 receptor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/715,156, filed Oct. 17, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

REFERENCE TO THE SEQUENCE LISTING

The present application is being filed along with a Sequence Listing in electronic format via EFS-Web. The Sequence Listing is provided as a text file entitled A1731USNPst25.txt, created Mar. 14, 2013, which is 238,880 bytes in size. The information in the electronic format of the Sequence Listing is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The cytokine IL-21 signals through a heterodimeric receptor consisting of the common gamma chain and IL-21-specific receptor called “IL-21 receptor” or “IL-21R.” IL-21 receptor is expressed on a number of types of cells of the immune system, including dendritic cells, macrophages, NK cells, B cells, and CD4+ CD8+ T cells. With respect to T cells, IL-21 signaling stimulates CD8+ T cell proliferation and expansion. It causes naïve T cells to differentiate into Th17 cells, which it stabilizes and maintains. IL-21 signaling also down-regulates induced regulatory T cells and inhibits the suppressive effects of Tregs. Pathologic autoantibodies can be produced in germinal centers, the formation of which depends on IL-21 signaling. IL-21 also affects B cell activation plasma cell differentiation.

IL-21 signaling is associated with several pathologic conditions. Elevated levels of IL-21 are found in the sera of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Polymorphisms in IL-21 and IL-21 receptor have been implicated in increased susceptibility to developing SLE. Mouse models of SLE further implicate a role for IL-21 signaling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein, wherein said antigen binding protein comprises either the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; the heavy chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; the heavy chain variable domain and the light chain variable domain of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a light chain variable domain sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a heavy chain variable domain sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the heavy chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a light chain variable domain sequence and a heavy chain variable domain sequence that each is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the light chain variable domain sequence and the heavy chain variable domain sequence, respectively, of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a light chain variable domain sequence that differs at no more than 15, 12, 10, 8, 5, or 3 amino acid positions from the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a heavy chain variable domain sequence that differs at no more than 15, 12, 10, 8, 5, or 3 amino acid positions from the heavy chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a light chain variable domain sequence and a heavy chain variable domain sequence that each differs at no more than 15, 12, 10, 8, 5, or 3 amino acid positions from the light chain variable domain sequence and the heavy chain variable domain sequence, respectively, of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a light chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3 as provided in FIG. 5; a heavy chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3, as provided in FIG. 3; a light chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3, as provided in FIG. 5, and a heavy chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain variable domain sequence of the same antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3, as provided in FIG. 3; a light chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes under moderately stringent, stringent, or highly stringent conditions to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3 as provided in FIG. 5; a heavy chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes under moderately stringent, stringent, or highly stringent conditions to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3 as provided in FIG. 3; a light chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes under moderately stringent, stringent, or highly stringent conditions to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3, as provided in FIG. 5, and a heavy chain variable domain sequence that is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes under moderately stringent, stringent, or highly stringent conditions to the nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain variable domain sequence of the same antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3, as provided in FIG. 3; CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 of the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 of the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 of the light chain variable domain sequence, and CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 of the heavy chain variable domain sequence, of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; light chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences that each differs at no more than 3, 2, or 1 amino acid positions from the light chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences, respectively, of the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; heavy chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences that each differs at no more than 3, 2, or 1 amino acid positions from the heavy chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences, respectively, of the heavy chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; or light chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences that each differs at no more than 3, 2, or 1 amino acid positions from the light chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences, respectively, of the light chain variable domain sequence of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3, and heavy chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences that each differs at no more than 3, 2, or 1 amino acid positions from the heavy chain variable domain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences, respectively, of the heavy chain variable domain sequence of the same antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3.

In one embodiment, the anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprises: a heavy chain variable domain sequence disclosed in FIG. 2; a light chain variable domain sequence disclosed in FIG. 4; a heavy chain variable domain sequence disclosed in FIG. 2 and a light chain variable domain sequence disclosed in FIG. 4; the CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences of a heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 2; the CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences of a light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 4; the CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences of a heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 2 and the CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 sequences of a light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 4; the heavy chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; the lambda light chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; the kappa light chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; the heavy chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7 and either the lambda light constant region disclosed in FIG. 7 or the kappa light chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; a heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 8; a light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 9; a heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 8 and a light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 9, wherein said heavy chain and said light chain sequence are from the same antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3; a heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 10; a light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 11; a heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 10 and a light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 11, wherein said heavy chain and said light chain sequence are from the same antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3.

In another embodiment, the isolated anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein competes for binding to a human IL-21 receptor with antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3.

In another embodiment, the isolated anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of claim 1, wherein said antigen binding protein comprises either: a light chain variable domain that differs from the light chain variable domain of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3 only in that one or more non-germline amino acid residues are replaced with the corresponding germline residues; a heavy chain variable domain that differs from the heavy chain variable domain of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3 only in that one or more non-germline amino acid residues are replaced with the corresponding germline residues; or a light chain variable domain that differs from the light chain variable domain of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3 only in that one or more non-germline amino acid residues are replaced with the corresponding germline residues, and a heavy chain variable domain that differs from the heavy chain variable domain of the same antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3 only in that one or more non-germline amino acid residues are replaced with the corresponding germline residues.

In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises: a human antibody; a humanized antibody; a chimeric antibody; a monoclonal antibody; a polyclonal antibody; a recombinant antibody; an antigen-binding antibody fragment; a single chain antibody; a diabody; a triabody; a tetrabody; a Fab fragment; a F(ab′)2 fragment; a domain antibody; an IgD antibody; an IgE antibody; an IgM antibody; an IgG1 antibody; an IgG2 antibody; an IgG3 antibody; an IgG4 antibody; or an IgG4 antibody having at least one mutation in a hinge region that alleviates a tendency to form intra-H chain disulfide bond.

In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein inhibits binding of IL-21 to IL-21 receptor.

In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein shows activity in the B/T co-culture assay, the B cell IgA production assay, the CD8 IFN-γ production assay, or the whole blood pSTAT3 stimulation assay, of Example 3.

In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein has a potency about equal to or greater than the potency shown in Table 2 for antibodies 34H7 or 29G8 in the B/T co-culture assay, the B cell IgA production assay, the CD8 IFN-γ production assay, or the whole blood pSTAT3 stimulation assay of Example 3.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide comprising a sequence that encodes the light chain, the heavy chain, or both of one of the aforementioned anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding proteins.

In one embodiment, the isolated polynucleotide comprises a light chain variable domain nucleic acid sequence of FIG. 5 and/or a heavy chain variable domain nucleic acid sequence of FIG. 3.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a plasmid comprising an aforementioned isolated polynucleotide.

In one embodiment, the plasmid is an expression vector.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an isolated cell comprising an aforementioned isolated polynucleotide.

In one embodiment, a chromosome of the cell comprises the polynucleotide.

In another embodiment, the cell is a hybridoma.

In another embodiment, an expression vector comprises the polynucleotide.

In another embodiment, the cell is a CHO cell.

In another embodiment, the cell is a bacterial cell.

In another embodiment, the cell is an E. coli cell.

In another embodiment, the cell is a yeast cell.

In another embodiment, the cell is an animal cell.

In another embodiment, the cell is a human cell.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of making an anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein, comprising incubating an aforementioned isolated cell under conditions that allow it to express said antigen binding protein.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising an aforementioned anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating a condition in a subject, comprising administering to said subject an aforementioned anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein or the aforementioned pharmaceutical composition, wherein said condition is treated or prevented by a reduction in IL-21 receptor activity.

In one embodiment, about 15 milligrams to about 300 milligrams, about 30 milligrams to about 200 milligrams, about 50 milligrams to about 150 milligrams, or about 75 milligrams to about 125 milligrams of an aforementioned antigen binding protein is administered to the patient.

In another embodiment, administration of said antigen binding protein is repeated three times per day, twice per day, once per day, once every two days, once every three days, once per week, twice per week, three times per week, four times per month, three times per month, twice per month, once per month, once every two months, once every three months, once every four months, once every six months, or once per year.

In another embodiment, a dose and a frequency of administration of the antigen binding protein are used such as to maintain serum levels of the antigen binding protein in the patient at or above a desired level.

In another embodiment, the condition is an infectious, inflammatory, or autoimmune condition.

In another embodiment, the condition is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), rheumatoid arthritis including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, Addison's disease, diabetes (type I), epididymitis, glomerulonephritis, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, hemolytic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis, myasthenia gravis, pemphigus, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, atherosclerosis, erythropoietin resistance, graft versus host disease, transplant rejection, autoimmune hepatitis-induced hepatic injury, biliary cirrhosis, alcohol-induced liver injury, alcoholic cirrhosis, rheumatic fever, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, a spondyloarthropathy, ankylosing spondylitis, thyroiditis, vasculitis, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, or heart disease.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises administering to the subject a second treatment.

In another embodiment, the second treatment is an anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious disease, or anti-autoimmune disorder treatment.

In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein or pharmaceutical composition is administered subcutaneously or intravenously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A provides the amino acid sequence of human IL-21 receptor (SEQ ID NO: 5). FIG. 1B provides the amino acid sequence of murine IL-21 receptor (SEQ ID NO: 6).

FIG. 2 provides amino acid sequences of the heavy chain variable domains of anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies (SEQ ID NOS 7-16, respectively, in order of appearance). CDR 1, 2, and 3 sequences (from left to right) are indicated in bold and underlined.

FIGS. 3A and B provide nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain variable domains of anti-IL-21 receptor (SEQ ID NOS 17-26, respectively, in order of appearance).

FIG. 4 provides amino acid sequences of the light chain variable domains of anti-IL-21 receptor (SEQ ID NOS 27-36, respectively, in order of appearance). CDR 1, 2, and 3 sequences (from left to right) are indicated in bold and underlined.

FIGS. 5A and B provide nucleic acid sequences encoding light chain variable domains of anti-IL-21 receptor (SEQ ID NOS 37-46, respectively, in order of appearance).

FIG. 6 provides amino acid sequences for heavy and light chain CDRs of anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies. Hyphens are numerical placeholders for numbering purposes (Heavy chain CDR1 sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 47-48, 48-49, 49, 49, 49, 49-50, and 49, heavy chain CDR2 sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 51-57, 56, 58 and 54, and heavy chain CDR3 sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 59-65, 64, 66 and 62, all respectively, in order of appearance; Light chain CDR1 sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 67-73, 72, 74 and 70, light chain CDR2 sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 75-79, 79-80, 79, 81 and 78, and light chain CDR3 sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 82-87, 87, 87-88 and 85, all respectively, in order of appearance).

FIG. 7 provides amino acid and nucleic acid sequences for heavy and light chain constant sequences (SEQ ID NOS 89-94, respectively, in order of appearance).

FIGS. 8A and 8B provide amino acid sequences for heavy chain variable domain and constant domain sequences for anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies (SEQ ID NOS 95-104, respectively, in order of appearance).

FIGS. 9A and 9B provide amino acid sequences for light chain variable domain and constant domain sequences for anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies (SEQ ID NOS 105-114, respectively, in order of appearance).

FIGS. 10A and 10B provide amino acid sequences for signal sequences, heavy variable domain and constant domain sequences for anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies (SEQ ID NOS 115-123, respectively, in order of appearance).

FIGS. 11A and 11B provide amino acid sequences for signal sequences, light variable domain and constant domain sequences for anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies (SEQ ID NOS 124-133, respectively, in order of appearance).

FIGS. 12A-E provide heavy chain variable domain sequence groups (‘10C2 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 7 and 134-140, ‘8B9 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 8-9 and 141-160, ‘29G8 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 10 and 161-162, ‘31C5 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 11 and 163, ‘29G2 Group’ sequence disclosed as SEQ ID NO: 12, ‘31E7 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 13 and 164-165, ‘34H7 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 14 and 166-171, ‘30G3 Group’ sequence disclosed as SEQ ID NO: 15, and ‘37G3 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 16 and 172-173, all respectively, in order of appearance).

FIGS. 13A-C provide light chain variable domain sequence groups (‘10C2 Group’ sequence disclosed as SEQ ID NO: 27, ‘8B9 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 28-29 and 174-177, ‘29G8 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 30 and 178, ‘31C5 Group’ sequence disclosed as SEQ ID NO: 31, ‘29G2 Group’ sequence disclosed as SEQ ID NO: 32, ‘31E7 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 33 and 179-180, ‘34H7 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 34 and 181-182, ‘30G3 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 35 and 183, and ‘37G3 Group’ sequences disclosed as SEQ ID NOS 36 and 184, all respectively, in order of appearance).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described.

Unless otherwise defined herein, scientific and technical terms used in connection with the present application shall have the meanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.

Generally, the terminology and techniques of cell and tissue culture, molecular biology, immunology, microbiology, genetics, protein and nucleic acid chemistry, manufacturing, formulation, pharmacology, and medicine described herein are those well known and commonly used in the art. The methods and techniques of the present application are generally performed according to conventional methods well known in the art and as described in various general and more specific references that are cited and discussed throughout the present specification unless otherwise indicated. See, e.g., Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 3rd ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (2001), Ausubel et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Greene Publishing Associates (1992), and Harlow and Lane Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (1990), which are incorporated herein by reference. Enzymatic reactions and purification techniques are performed according to manufacturer's specifications, as commonly accomplished in the art, or as described herein. The terminology used in connection with, and the laboratory procedures and techniques of, analytical chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry described herein are those well known and commonly used in the art. Standard techniques can be used for chemical syntheses, chemical analyses, pharmaceutical preparation, formulation, and delivery, and treatment of patients.

This invention is not limited to the particular methodology, protocols, reagents, etc., described herein. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Other than in the operating examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein should be understood as modified in all instances by the term “about” as that term would be interpreted by the person skilled in the relevant art.

DEFINITIONS

The term “polynucleotide” or “nucleic acid” includes nucleotide polymers of any length. They can be, for example, single-stranded, double-stranded, or triple-stranded, or a combination of single- and/or double- and/or triple-stranded. Where a nucleotide polymer comprises more than one strand, each strand is itself understood to be a polynucleotide or nucleic acid. Where a nucleotide polymer is double-stranded, typically each of the strands is complementary to the other, although their complementarity need not be perfect and in some instances is sufficient to allow the stable association or hybridization of the two strands only under certain hybridization conditions. The nucleotides comprising the polynucleotide can be naturally-occurring or artificial nucleotide analogs, such as, for example, ribonucleotides, deoxyribonucleotides, or modified forms of either type of nucleotide, or a combination of different types of nucleotides and/or nucleotide analogs. Said modifications include, for example, base modifications, such as bromouridine and inosine derivatives, ribose modifications, such as 2′,3′-dideoxyribose, and internucleotide linkage modifications, such as phosphorothioate, phosphorodithioate, phosphoroselenoate, phosphorodiselenoate, phosphoroanilothioate, phoshoraniladate and phosphoroamidate. The terms “polynucleotide” and “nucleic acid” include nucleotide polymers that have been covalently or non-covalently modified by the addition of one or more non-polynucleotide chemical entities, such as, for example, labels, (e.g., radiolabels), fluorescent labels, haptens or antigenic labels as well as nucleotide polymers that have been covalently or non-covalently bound to a solid object or surface, such as a hybridization membrane (e.g., a nitrocellulose hybridization membrane), a bead, a vessel wall, or the like.

The term “oligonucleotide” refers generally to shorter polynucleotide or nucleic acid sequences. The length of a particular oligonucleotide will depend on how it is made and/or its intended use. Typically, it refers to a polynucleotide comprising 200 or fewer nucleotides. In some embodiments, oligonucleotides are 10 to 60 bases in length. In other embodiments, oligonucleotides are 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 to 40 nucleotides in length. Oligonucleotides may be, for example, single-, double-, or triple-stranded. Single stranded oligonucleotides may be sense or antisense oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotides have many uses, including, for example, as PCR primers, cloning primers, adapters for joining two or more polynucleotides, and hybridization probes.

An “isolated nucleic acid molecule” means a DNA or RNA of genomic, mRNA, cDNA, or synthetic origin, or some combination thereof, which is at least partially removed from its natural environment. Examples of isolated nucleic acid molecules include nucleic acids that have sequences found in nature but that are produced synthetically, naturally-occurring nucleic acids that are not associated with all or a portion of a polynucleotide in which the isolated polynucleotide is found in nature, naturally-occurring nucleic acids that are linked to a polynucleotide to which they are not linked in nature, and naturally-occurring nucleic acids that have been at least partially removed from their natural cellular environment. For purposes of this disclosure, it should be understood that “a nucleic acid molecule comprising” a particular nucleotide sequence does not encompass intact naturally-occurring chromosomes. Isolated nucleic acid molecules “comprising” specified nucleic acid sequences may include other sequences as well, such as, for example, one or more other coding sequences, operably linked regulatory sequences that control or affect expression of the coding region of the recited nucleic acid sequences, vector or plasmid sequences, sequences controlling or affecting replication of the nucleic acid, restriction sites, primer binding sites, and the like.

Unless specified otherwise, the left-hand end of any single-stranded polynucleotide sequence provided herein is the 5′ end; the left-hand direction of double-stranded polynucleotide sequences is referred to as the 5′ direction. The direction of 5′ to 3′ addition of nascent RNA transcripts is referred to as the transcription direction; sequence regions on the DNA strand having the same sequence as the RNA transcript that are 5′ to the 5′ end of the RNA transcript are referred to as “upstream sequences;” sequence regions on the DNA strand having the same sequence as the RNA transcript that are 3′ to the 3′ end of the RNA transcript are referred to as “downstream sequences.”

The term “control sequence” refers to a polynucleotide sequence that can affect the expression and/or processing of a coding sequence to which it is ligated. The nature of such control sequences may depend upon the host organism. In particular embodiments, control sequences for prokaryotes may include a promoter, a ribosomal binding site, and a transcription termination sequence. Examples of control sequences for eukaryotes include promoters comprising one or a plurality of recognition sites for transcription factors, transcription enhancer sequences, and transcription termination sequences. The term “control sequences” can refer to leader sequences and/or fusion partner sequences as well.

The term “vector” means any molecule or entity (e.g., nucleic acid, plasmid, bacteriophage or virus) used to transfer protein coding information into a host cell.

The terms “expression vector,” “expression plasmid,” and “expression construct” each refers to a vector that is suitable for transformation of a host cell and contains nucleic acid sequences that allows (in conjunction with the host cell) expression of one or more heterologous coding regions operatively linked thereto. An expression construct may include, but is not limited to, sequences that affect or control transcription, translation, and, if introns are present, affect RNA splicing of a coding region operably linked thereto.

As used herein, “operably linked” means that the components to which the term is applied are in a relationship that allows them to carry out their inherent or desired functions under suitable conditions. An example of a control sequence that is “operably linked” to a protein coding sequence in a vector is an enhancer region that is ligated (either directly or via intermediary sequences) to the protein coding sequence such that expression of the protein coding sequence is achieved under conditions compatible with the transcriptional activity of the enhancer region.

The term “host cell” means a cell capable of expressing, under the correct conditions, a coding sequence of interest. The term includes the progeny of the parent cell, whether or not the progeny is identical in morphology or in genetic make-up to the original parent cell, so long as the coding sequence of interest is present. A “host cell” can be a cell that has been transformed, or is capable of being transformed, with a nucleic acid sequence and thereby express a coding sequence of interest.

The term “transduction” means the transfer of genes from one bacterium to another, usually by bacteriophage. “Transduction” also refers to the acquisition and transfer of eukaryotic cellular sequences by replication defective retroviruses.

The term “transfection” means the uptake of foreign or exogenous DNA by a cell, and a cell has been “transfected” when the exogenous DNA has been introduced into the cell. A number of transfection techniques are well known in the art and are disclosed herein. See, e.g., Graham et al., 1973, Virology 52:456; Sambrook et al., 2001, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, supra; Davis et al., 1986, Basic Methods in Molecular Biology, Elsevier; Chu et al., 1981, Gene 13:197. Such techniques can be used to introduce one or more exogenous DNA moieties into suitable host cells. Depending on the technique used to make the transfected cell and the desired use of the transfected cell, a cell can be transfected either stably or transiently.

The term “transformation” refers to a change in a cell's genetic characteristics, and a cell has been transformed when it has been modified to contain new DNA or RNA. For example, a cell is transformed where it is genetically modified from its native state by introducing new genetic material via, for example, transfection or transduction, or via another technique, such as a chemical, ballistic, or electroporation technique. Following transformation, the transforming DNA may recombine with that of the cell by physically integrating into a chromosome of the cell, or may be maintained transiently as an episomal element without being replicated and/or stably propagated during cellular division, or it may replicate independently as a plasmid. A cell is considered to have been “stably transformed” when the transforming DNA is replicated as part of the host cell's cycle of cell division.

The terms “polypeptide” or “protein” are used interchangeably herein to refer to a polymer of amino acid residues. The terms also apply to amino acid polymers in which one or more amino acid residues is an analog, derivative, or mimetic of a naturally occurring amino acid, as well as to naturally occurring amino acid polymers. The terms also encompass amino acid polymers that have been modified. Such modifications include any naturally-occurring or artificial modification of a polypeptide. Some such modifications will alter the sequence of the polypeptide, but others will not. Examples of such modifications include the addition of carbohydrate residues and phosphorylation. Polypeptides and proteins can be produced and/or modified by a naturally-occurring and non-recombinant cell or they can be produced by a genetically-engineered or recombinant cell. “Polypeptides” and “proteins” comprise molecules having the amino acid sequence of a native protein, or molecules having deletions from, additions to, and/or substitutions of one or more amino acids of, the native sequence. The terms “polypeptide” and “protein” specifically encompass IL-21 receptor antigen-binding proteins, antibodies, or sequences that have deletions from, additions to, and/or substitutions of one or more amino acids of an antigen-binding protein. The term “polypeptide fragment” refers to a polypeptide that has an amino-terminal deletion, a carboxyl-terminal deletion, and/or an internal deletion as compared with the full-length protein. Such fragments may also contain modified amino acids as compared with the full-length protein. In certain embodiments, fragments are about five to 500 amino acids long. For example, fragments may be at least 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 20, 50, 70, 100, 110, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, or 450 amino acids long. Useful polypeptide fragments include immunologically functional fragments of antibodies, including binding domains. In the case of an IL-21 receptor-binding antibody, useful fragments include but are not limited to a CDR region, a variable domain of a heavy or light chain, a portion of an antibody chain or just its variable region including two CDRs, and the like.

An “isolated protein” (1) is free of at least some other proteins or cellular components with which it would normally be found, (2) is essentially free of other proteins from the same source, e.g., from the same species, (3) is expressed by a cell from a different species, (4) has been separated from at least about 50 percent of polynucleotides, lipids, carbohydrates, or other materials with which it is associated in nature, (5) is operably associated (by covalent or noncovalent bonds) with a polypeptide with which it is not associated in nature, or (6) does not occur in nature. An “isolated protein” can constitute at least about 5%, at least about 10%, at least about 25%, or at least about 50% of a given sample. Genomic DNA, cDNA, mRNA or other RNA, of synthetic origin, or any combination thereof may encode such an isolated protein. In some embodiments, the isolated protein is substantially free from proteins or polypeptides or other contaminants that are found in its natural environment that would interfere with its therapeutic, diagnostic, prophylactic, research or other use.

A “variant” of a polypeptide (e.g., of an antigen binding protein or of an antibody) comprises an amino acid sequence wherein one or more amino acid residues are inserted into, deleted from and/or substituted into the amino acid sequence relative to another polypeptide sequence. A fusion protein comprising all or part of a polypeptide is one example of a variant of the polypeptide.

A “derivative” of a polypeptide is a polypeptide (e.g., an antigen binding protein, or an antibody) that has been chemically modified in some manner distinct from the insertion, deletion, and/or substitution of amino acids, e.g., via conjugation to another chemical moiety. An antigen binding protein that contains all or most of either the light- or heavy-chain variable domain of an antibody, but lacks most or all of the other variable domain of the antibody, is an example of a derivative of the antibody.

The term “naturally occurring” as used throughout the specification in connection with biological materials such as polypeptides, nucleic acids, host cells, and the like, refers to materials which are found in nature.

An “antigen binding protein” as used herein means a protein that specifically binds a specified target antigen, such as IL-21 receptor or human IL-21-receptor.

An antigen binding protein, such as an antibody or antibody fragment, variant, or derivative, is said to “specifically bind” its target antigen when it binds immunospecifically to its target antigen. In some embodiments, a specifically binding antigen binding protein has a dissociation constant (K_(D)) of 1 to 10×10⁻⁸ M. The antibody specifically binds antigen with “high affinity” when the K_(D) is 1 to 10×10⁻⁹ M, and with “very high affinity” when the K_(D) is 1 to 10×10⁻¹⁰ M. In one embodiment, the antibody has a K_(D) of 1 to 10×10⁻⁹ M and an off-rate of about 1×10⁻⁴/sec. In one embodiment, the off-rate is about 1×10⁻⁵/sec. In other embodiments, the antibodies will bind to IL-21 receptor, or human IL-21 receptor, with a K_(D) of between about 10⁻⁸ M and 10⁻¹⁰ M, and in yet another embodiment it will bind with a K_(D) of 1 to 2×10⁻¹⁰.

“Antigen binding region” means the portion of an antibody or other antigen binding protein, or a fragment, derivative, or variant thereof, that specifically binds a specified antigen. An antigen binding region can include one or more “complementarity determining regions” (“CDRs”). Certain antigen binding regions also include one or more “framework” regions. Residues within the framework regions of some antibodies and other antigen binding proteins can contribute directly to the specific binding of the antibody or antigen binding protein to its antigen, but typically framework regions aid in maintaining a conformation of the CDRs that allows binding between the antigen binding region and the antigen.

In certain aspects, recombinant antigen binding proteins that bind 11-21 receptor, or human IL-21 receptor, are provided. In this context, a “recombinant protein” is a protein made using recombinant techniques, e.g., through the expression of a recombinant nucleic acid. Methods and techniques for the production of recombinant proteins are well known in the art.

The term “antibody” refers to an intact antigen-binding immunoglobulin of any kind, or a fragment thereof that itself specifically binds to the antibody's target antigen, and includes, for example, chimeric, humanized, fully human, and bispecific antibodies. An “antibody” is a type of an antigen binding protein. In some embodiments, an intact antibody comprises two full-length heavy chains and two full-length light chains. In other embodiments, an intact antibody includes fewer chains such as antibodies naturally occurring in camelids, which may comprise only heavy chains. In other embodiments, a fragment or derivative of an antibody is made that lacks part or all of the antibody's light chains or light chain variable regions. In other embodiments, a fragment or derivative of an antibody is made that lacks some or all of the antibody's heavy chains. Such derivatives or fragments typically will comprise one or more linker or other amino acid sequences to join the light chains or light chain fragments and/or allow them to adopt a conformation that allows for binding of the fragment or derivative to its antigen.

The amino acid sequences of an antibody may be derived solely from a single source, or may be “chimeric”; that is, different portions of the antibody may be derived from two different antibodies as described further below. The antigen binding proteins, antibodies, or binding fragments may be produced in hybridomas, by recombinant DNA techniques, or by enzymatic or chemical cleavage of intact antibodies. Unless otherwise indicated, the term “antibody” includes, in addition to antibodies comprising two full-length heavy chains and two full-length light chains, derivatives, variants, fragments, and mutations thereof.

The term “light chain” includes full-length light chain as well as fragments, derivatives, and variants thereof having a variable region sequence that is sufficient, in combination, as needed, with a suitable heavy chain or heavy chain fragment, derivative, or variant, to confer specific binding to an antigen. A full-length light chain includes a variable region domain, V_(L), and a constant region domain, C_(L). Examples of light chains include kappa light chains and lambda light chains.

The term “heavy chain” includes a full-length heavy chain as well as fragments, derivatives, and variants thereof having a variable region sequence that is sufficient, in combination, as needed, with a suitable light chain or light chain fragment, derivative, or variant, to confer specific binding to an antigen. A full-length heavy chain includes a variable region domain, V_(H), and three constant region domains, C_(H1), C_(H2), and C_(H3). Heavy chains may be of any isotype, including IgG (including IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 subtypes), IgA (including IgA1 and IgA2 subtypes), IgM and IgE, as well as derivatives and variants thereof.

The term “immunologically functional fragment” of an antibody or immunoglobulin chain (heavy or light chain), as used herein, is an antigen binding protein comprising a portion (regardless of how that portion is obtained or synthesized) of an antibody that lacks at least some of the amino acids present in a full-length chain but which is capable of specifically binding to an antigen. Such fragments are biologically active in that they bind specifically to the target antigen. In some embodiment, such a fragment will retain at least one CDR present in the full-length light or heavy chain, and in some embodiments will comprise a single heavy chain and/or light chain or portion thereof. These biologically active fragments may be produced by, for example, recombinant DNA techniques or by enzymatic or chemical cleavage of antigen binding proteins, including of intact antibodies. Immunologically functional immunoglobulin fragments include, but are not limited to, Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)₂, Fv, domain antibodies and single-chain antibodies, and may be derived from any mammalian source, including but not limited to human, mouse, rat, camelid or rabbit. It is contemplated further that a functional portion of the antigen binding proteins disclosed herein, for example, one or more CDRs, could be covalently bound to a second protein or to a small molecule to create a therapeutic agent directed to a particular target in the body, possessing bifunctional therapeutic properties, or having a prolonged serum half-life.

“Single-chain antibodies” are Fv molecules in which the heavy and light chain variable regions have been connected by a flexible linker to form a single polypeptide chain, which forms an antigen-binding region. Single chain antibodies are discussed in detail in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 88/01649 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,778 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,203, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.

A “domain antibody” is an immunologically functional immunoglobulin fragment containing only the variable region of a heavy chain or the variable region of a light chain. In some instances, two or more V_(H) regions are covalently joined with a peptide linker to create a bivalent domain antibody. The two V_(H) regions of a bivalent domain antibody may target the same or different antigens.

A “bivalent antigen binding protein” or “bivalent antibody” comprises two antigen binding sites. In some embodiments, the two binding sites have the same antigen specificities. In other embodiments, the bivalent antigen binding proteins and bivalent antibodies are bispecific.

A multispecific antigen binding protein” or “multispecific antibody” is one that specifically binds more than one antigen or epitope.

A “bispecific,” “dual-specific” or “bifunctional” antigen binding protein or antibody is a hybrid antigen binding protein or antibody, respectively, having two antigen binding sites that each specifically binds to a different epitope. The two epitopes can be present on the same molecule (e.g., on the IL-21 receptor protein) or on different molecules (e.g., on the IL-21 receptor protein and on IL-21, or on IL-21 receptor and on the common gamma chain). Bispecific antigen binding proteins and antibodies are a species of multispecific antigen binding protein or multispecific antibody and may be produced by a variety of methods including, but not limited to, fusion of hybridomas or linking of Fab′ fragments. See, e.g., Songsivilai and Lachmann, 1990, Clin. Exp. Immunol 79:315-321; Kostelny et al., 1992, J. Immunol. 148:1547-1553.

The terms “inhibitory antigen binding protein,” “inhibitory antibody,” “antagonistic antigen binding protein,” “antagonistic antibody,” “neutralizing antigen binding protein” and “neutralizing antibody” refers to an antigen binding protein or antibody, respectively, that specifically binds to its target and thereby reduces or prevents a biological activity of the target, such as, for example, its ability to bind with a ligand, receptor, binding partner, regulatory molecule, or substrate, catalyze a reaction, send or propagate a signal, or phosphorylate or de-phosphorylate itself or another protein.

The term “compete” when used in the context of antigen binding proteins (e.g., neutralizing antigen binding proteins or neutralizing antibodies) that bind to the same target means competition between antigen binding proteins is determined by an assay in which the antigen binding protein (e.g., antibody or immunologically functional fragment thereof) under test prevents, reduces or inhibits specific binding of a reference antigen binding protein (e.g., a ligand, or a reference antibody) to a common antigen (e.g., IL-21 receptor or a fragment thereof). Numerous types of competitive binding assays can be used, for example: solid phase direct or indirect radioimmunoassay (RIA), solid phase direct or indirect enzyme immunoassay (EIA), sandwich competition assay (see, e.g., Stahli et al., 1983, Methods in Enzymology 9:242-253); solid phase direct biotin-avidin EIA (see, e.g., Kirkland et al., 1986, J. Immunol. 137:3614-3619) solid phase direct labeled assay, solid phase direct labeled sandwich assay (see, e.g., Harlow and Lane, 1988, Antibodies, A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Press); solid phase direct label RIA using 1-125 label (see, e.g., Morel et al., 1988, Molec. Immunol. 25:7-15); solid phase direct biotin-avidin EIA (see, e.g., Cheung, et al., 1990, Virology 176:546-552); and direct labeled RIA (Moldenhauer et al., 1990, Scand. J. Immunol. 32:77-82). Typically, such an assay involves the use of purified antigen bound to a solid surface or cells bearing either of these, an unlabelled test antigen binding protein and a labeled reference antigen binding protein. Competitive inhibition is measured by determining the amount of label bound to the solid surface or cells in the presence of the test antigen binding protein. Usually the test antigen binding protein is present in excess. Antigen binding proteins identified by competition assay (competing antigen binding proteins) include antigen binding proteins binding to the same epitope as the reference antigen binding proteins, an epitope that overlaps the epitope as the reference antigen binding proteins, and epitopes that do not overlap but that allow for steric hindrance to occur between the test and reference antigen binding proteins. A specific method for determining competitive binding is provided in the examples herein. Usually, when a competing antigen binding protein is present in excess, it will inhibit specific binding of a reference antigen binding protein to a common antigen by at least 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70% or 75%. In some instance, binding is inhibited by at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 97% or more.

The term “antigen” refers to a molecule or a portion of a molecule capable of being bound by a selective binding agent, such as an antigen binding protein (including, e.g., an antibody or immunological functional fragment thereof), and additionally capable of being used in an animal to produce antibodies capable of binding to that antigen. An antigen may possess one or more epitopes that are capable of interacting with different antigen binding proteins, e.g., antibodies.

The term “epitope” is the portion of a molecule that is bound by an antigen binding protein (for example, an antibody). The term includes any determinant capable of specifically binding to an antigen binding protein, such as an antibody or to a T-cell receptor. An epitope can be contiguous or non-contiguous (e.g., in a polypeptide, amino acid residues that are not contiguous to one another in the polypeptide sequence but that within in context of the molecule are bound by the antigen binding protein). In certain embodiments, epitopes may be mimetic in that they comprise a three dimensional structure that is similar to an epitope used to generate the antigen binding protein, yet comprise none or only some of the amino acid residues found in that epitope used to generate the antigen binding protein. Most often, epitopes reside on proteins, but in some instances may reside on other kinds of molecules, such as nucleic acids. Epitope determinants may include chemically active surface groupings of molecules such as amino acids, sugar side chains, phosphoryl or sulfonyl groups, and may have specific three dimensional structural characteristics, and/or specific charge characteristics. Generally, antibodies specific for a particular target antigen will preferentially recognize an epitope on the target antigen in a complex mixture of proteins and/or macromolecules.

The term “identity” refers to a relationship between the sequences of two or more polypeptide molecules or two or more nucleic acid molecules, as determined by aligning and comparing the sequences. “Percent identity” means the percent of identical residues between the amino acids or nucleotides in the compared molecules and is calculated based on the size of the smallest of the molecules being compared. For these calculations, gaps in alignments (if any) must be addressed by a particular mathematical model or computer program (i.e., an “algorithm”). Methods that can be used to calculate the identity of the aligned nucleic acids or polypeptides include those described in Computational Molecular Biology, (Lesk, A. M., ed.), 1988, New York: Oxford University Press; Biocomputing Informatics and Genome Projects, (Smith, D. W., ed.), 1993, New York: Academic Press; Computer Analysis of Sequence Data, Part I, (Griffin, A. M., and Griffin, H. G., eds.), 1994, New Jersey: Humana Press; von Heinje, G., 1987, Sequence Analysis in Molecular Biology, New York: Academic Press; Sequence Analysis Primer, (Gribskov, M. and Devereux, J., eds.), 1991, New York: M. Stockton Press; and Carillo et al., 1988, SIAM J. Applied Math. 48:1073.

In calculating percent identity, the sequences being compared are aligned in a way that gives the largest match between the sequences. The computer program used to determine percent identity is the GCG program package, which includes GAP (Devereux et al., 1984, Nucl. Acid Res. 12:387; Genetics Computer Group, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.). The computer algorithm GAP is used to align the two polypeptides or polynucleotides for which the percent sequence identity is to be determined. The sequences are aligned for optimal matching of their respective amino acid or nucleotide (the “matched span”, as determined by the algorithm). A gap opening penalty (which is calculated as 3× the average diagonal, wherein the “average diagonal” is the average of the diagonal of the comparison matrix being used; the “diagonal” is the score or number assigned to each perfect amino acid match by the particular comparison matrix) and a gap extension penalty (which is usually 1/10 times the gap opening penalty), as well as a comparison matrix such as PAM 250 or BLOSUM 62 are used in conjunction with the algorithm. In certain embodiments, a standard comparison matrix (see, Dayhoff et al., 1978, Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure 5:345-352 for the PAM 250 comparison matrix; Henikoff et al., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 89:10915-10919 for the BLOSUM 62 comparison matrix) is also used by the algorithm.

Parameters for determining percent identity for polypeptides or nucleotide sequences using the GAP program are the following:

Algorithm: Needleman et al., 1970, J. Mol. Biol. 48:443-453;

Comparison matrix: BLOSUM 62 from Henikoff et al., 1992, supra;

Gap Penalty: 12 (but with no penalty for end gaps)

Gap Length Penalty: 4

Threshold of Similarity: 0

Certain alignment schemes for aligning two amino acid sequences may result in matching of only a short region of the two sequences, and this small aligned region may have very high sequence identity even though there is no significant relationship between the two full-length sequences. Accordingly, the selected alignment method (GAP program) can be adjusted if so desired to result in an alignment that spans at least 50 contiguous amino acids of the target polypeptide.

As used herein, “substantially pure” means that the described species of molecule is the predominant species present, that is, on a molar basis it is more abundant than any other individual species in the same mixture. In certain embodiments, a substantially pure molecule is a composition wherein the object species comprises at least 50% (on a molar basis) of all macromolecular species present. In other embodiments, a substantially pure composition will comprise at least 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 99% of all macromolecular species present in the composition. In other embodiments, the object species is purified to essential homogeneity wherein contaminating species cannot be detected in the composition by conventional detection methods and thus the composition consists of a single detectable macromolecular species.

The term “treating” refers to any indicia of success in the prevention, prophylaxis, treatment or amelioration of an injury, pathology, disease or condition, including any objective or subjective parameter such as abatement; remission; diminishing of symptoms or making the injury, pathology or condition more tolerable to the patient; slowing in the rate of degeneration or decline; making the final point of degeneration less debilitating; improving a patient's physical or mental well-being. The treatment or amelioration of symptoms can be based on objective or subjective parameters; including the results of a physical examination, neuropsychiatric exams, and/or a psychiatric evaluation. For example, certain methods presented herein successfully treat inflammatory conditions by decreasing the incidence of inflammation, causing remission of inflammation and/or ameliorating a symptom associated with inflammation.

An “effective amount” of a therapeutic treatment is generally an amount sufficient to reduce the severity and/or frequency of symptoms, eliminate the symptoms and/or underlying cause, prevent the occurrence of symptoms and/or their underlying cause, and/or improve or remediate the damage that results from or is associated with symptoms or their underlying cause. In some embodiments, the effective amount is a therapeutically effective amount or a prophylactically effective amount. A “therapeutically effective amount” is an amount sufficient to remedy a disease state (e.g. inflammation) or symptoms, particularly a state or symptoms associated with the disease state, or otherwise prevent, hinder, retard or reverse the progression of the disease state or any other undesirable symptom associated with the disease in any way whatsoever. A “prophylactically effective amount” is an amount of a pharmaceutical composition that, when administered to a subject, will have the intended prophylactic effect, e.g., preventing or delaying the onset (or reoccurrence) of inflammation, or reducing the likelihood of the onset (or reoccurrence) of inflammation or inflammation symptoms. The full therapeutic or prophylactic effect does not necessarily occur by administration of one dose, and may occur only after administration of a series of doses. Thus, a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount may be administered in one or more administrations.

“Amino acid” includes its normal meaning in the art. The twenty naturally-occurring amino acids and their abbreviations follow conventional usage. See, Immunology—A Synthesis, 2nd Edition, (E. S. Golub and D. R. Green, eds.), Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, Mass. (1991), incorporated herein by reference for any purpose. Stereoisomers (e.g., D-amino acids) of the twenty conventional amino acids, unnatural amino acids such as [alpha]-, [alpha]-disubstituted amino acids, N-alkyl amino acids, and other unconventional amino acids may also be suitable components for polypeptides and are included in the phrase “amino acid.” Examples of unconventional amino acids include: 4-hydroxyproline, [gamma]-carboxyglutamate, [epsilon]-N,N,N-trimethyllysine, [epsilon]-N-acetyllysine, O-phosphoserine, N-acetylserine, N-formylmethionine, 3-methylhistidine, 5-hydroxylysine, [sigma]-N-methylarginine, and other similar amino acids and imino acids (e.g., 4-hydroxyproline). In the polypeptide notation used herein, the left-hand direction is the amino terminal direction and the right-hand direction is the carboxyl-terminal direction, in accordance with standard usage and convention.

The term “IL-21 receptor mediated disease” includes, but is not limited to, inflammatory, infectious, and autoimmune diseases. An “autoimmune disease” as used herein refers to disease states and conditions wherein a patient's immune response is directed toward the patient's own constituents. For example, IL-21 receptor mediated diseases include, but are not limited to, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), rheumatoid arthritis including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, Addison's disease, diabetes (type I), diabetes (type 2), insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, coronary artery disease, epididymitis, glomerulonephritis, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, hemolytic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis, myasthenia gravis, pemphigus, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, atherosclerosis, erythropoietin resistance, graft versus host disease, transplant rejection, autoimmune hepatitis-induced hepatic injury, biliary cirrhosis, alcohol-induced liver injury including alcoholic cirrhosis, rheumatic fever, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, spondyloarthropathies including ankylosing spondylitis, thyroiditis, vasculitis, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and heart disease. The term “IL-21 receptor mediated disease” also encompasses any medical condition associated with increased levels of IL-21 or IL-21 receptor or increased sensitivity to IL-21.

Antigen Binding Proteins

In one aspect, the present invention provides antigen binding proteins (e.g., antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody derivatives, antibody muteins, and antibody variants), that bind to IL-21 receptor, e.g., human IL-21 receptor.

Antigen binding proteins in accordance with the present invention include antigen binding proteins that inhibit a biological activity of IL-21 receptor. Examples of such biological activities include binding a signaling molecule (e.g., IL-21), and transducing a signal in response to binding a signaling molecule.

Different antigen binding proteins may bind to different domains or epitopes of IL-21 receptor or act by different mechanisms of action. Examples include but are not limited to antigen binding proteins that interfere with binding of IL-21 to IL-21 receptor or that inhibit signal transduction. The site of action may be, for example, intracellular (e.g., by interfering with an intracellular signaling cascade) or extracellular. An antigen binding protein need not completely inhibit an IL-21 induced activity to find use in the present invention; rather, antigen binding proteins that reduce a particular activity of IL-21 are contemplated for use as well. (Discussions herein of particular mechanisms of action for IL-21 receptor-binding antigen binding proteins in treating particular diseases are illustrative only, and the methods presented herein are not bound thereby.)

In another aspect, the present invention provides IL-21 receptor antigen binding proteins that comprise a light chain variable region and/or a heavy chain variable region selected from the sequences provided herein, or that comprise one or more CDR sequences selected from the sequences provided herein. Examples of antigen binding proteins of the present invention include antigen binding proteins, antibodies, and antibody derivatives and fragments comprising all or part of the sequences of antibodies 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, and 37G3 as disclosed in FIGS. 2 through 13 or in the Examples. Specific fragments of these antibodies that are found in various embodiments of the invention include their signal sequences, variable domains, CDRs, framework regions, and constant regions. In one such embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises the heavy chain variable domain of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3. In another such embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises the light chain variable domain of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3. In another such embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises the light chain variable domain and the heavy chain variable domain of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3. In another such embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises the heavy chain CDR sequences of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3. In another such embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises the light chain CDR sequences of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3. In another such embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises the heavy chain CDR sequences and the light chain CDR sequences of antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3. In some such embodiments, the antigen binding protein is an antibody or an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprising a heavy chain variable domain selected from the 31C5 group, the 29G2 group, the 31E7 group, the 34H7 group, the 30G3 group, or the 37G3 group, of FIG. 12. In another embodiment, the present invention provides an IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprising a light chain variable domain selected from the 10C2 group, the 8B9 group, the 29G8 group, the 31C5 group, the 29G2 group, the 31E7 group, 34H7 group, the 30G3 group, or the 37G3 group, of FIG. 13. In another embodiment, the present invention provides an IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprising a heavy chain variable domain selected from the 31C5 group, the 29G2 group, the 31E7 group, the 34H7 group, the 30G3 group, or the 37G3 group, of FIG. 12, and a light chain variable domain selected from the corresponding group of FIG. 13. In another embodiment, the present invention provides an IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprising a light chain variable domain selected from the 10C2 group, the 8B9 group, the 29G8 group, the 31C5 group, the 29G2 group, the 31E7 group, 34H7 group, the 30G3 group, or the 37G3 group, of FIG. 13, and a heavy chain variable domain selected from the corresponding group of FIG. 12. In another embodiment, the present invention provides an IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprising heavy chain CDR 1, 2, and 3 sequences selected from one or more antibodies within the 31C5 group, the 29G2 group, the 31E7 group, the 34H7 group, the 30G3 group, or the 37G3 group, of FIG. 12, and light chain CDR 1, 2, and 3 sequences selected from one or more antibodies within the corresponding group of FIG. 13.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprising a light chain variable domain comprising a sequence of amino acids that differs from the sequence of a light chain variable domain disclosed in FIG. 4, 9, 11, or 13, or in the Examples, only at 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 residues, wherein each such sequence difference is independently either a deletion, insertion, or substitution of one amino acid residue. In another embodiment, the light-chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the sequence of a light chain variable domain selected from the light chain variable domain sequences disclosed in FIG. 4, 9, 11, or 13, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the light chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a nucleotide sequence that is at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to a nucleotide sequence disclosed in FIG. 5A or 5B. In another embodiment, the light chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes under moderately stringent conditions to the complement of a polynucleotide disclosed in FIG. 5A or 5B. In another embodiment, the light chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes under moderately stringent conditions to the complement of a polynucleotide disclosed in FIG. 5A or 5B. In another embodiment, the light chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes under moderately stringent conditions to a complement of a light chain polynucleotide disclosed in FIG. 5A or 5B.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein comprising a heavy chain variable domain comprising a sequence of amino acids that differs from the sequence of a heavy chain variable domain selected disclosed in FIG. 2, 8, 10, or 12, or in the Examples, only at 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 residue(s), wherein each such sequence difference is independently either a deletion, insertion, or substitution of one amino acid residue. In another embodiment, the heavy chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to the sequence of a heavy chain variable domain sequence disclosed in FIG. 2, 8, 10, or 12, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the heavy chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a nucleotide sequence that is at least 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, or 99% identical to a nucleotide sequence disclosed in FIG. 3A or 3B. In another embodiment, the heavy chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes under moderately stringent conditions to the complement of a polynucleotide disclosed in FIG. 3A or 3B. In another embodiment, the heavy chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes under moderately stringent conditions to the complement of a polynucleotide disclosed in FIG. 3A or 3B. In another embodiment, the heavy chain variable domain comprises a sequence of amino acids that is encoded by a polynucleotide that hybridizes under moderately stringent conditions to a complement of a heavy chain polynucleotide disclosed in FIG. 3A or 3B.

Particular embodiments of antigen binding proteins of the present invention comprise one or more amino acid sequences that are identical to the amino acid sequences of one or more of the CDRs and/or FRs disclosed in FIG. 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13, or in the Examples. In one embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a light chain CDR1 sequence disclosed in FIG. 4, 6, or 13, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a light chain CDR2 sequence disclosed in FIG. 4, 6, or 13, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a light chain CDR3 sequence disclosed in FIG. 4, 6, or 13, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a heavy chain CDR1 sequence disclosed in FIG. 2, 6, or 12, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a heavy chain CDR2 sequence disclosed in FIG. 2, 6, or 12, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a heavy chain CDR3 sequence disclosed in FIG. 2, 6, or 12, or in the Examples. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a light chain FR1 sequence disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a light chain FR2 sequence disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a light chain FR3 sequence disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a light chain FR4 sequence disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a heavy chain FR1 sequence disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a heavy chain FR2 sequence disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a heavy chain FR3 sequence disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein comprises a heavy chain FR4 sequence disclosed herein.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an antigen binding protein that comprises one or more CDR sequences that each differs from a CDR sequence disclosed in FIG. 2, 6, 12, or 13, or in the Examples, by no more than 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 amino acid residues.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides antibodies that cross-compete with antibody 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, and/or 37G3 for binding to the extracellular domain human IL-21 receptor, wherein two antibodies “cross-compete” if each antibody reduces the binding of the other by at least 80% in the assay described in Example 4.

The nucleotide sequences or amino acid sequences disclosed herein can be altered, for example, by random mutagenesis or by site-directed mutagenesis (e.g., oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis) to create an altered polynucleotide comprising one or more particular nucleotide substitutions, deletions, or insertions as compared to the non-mutated polynucleotide. Examples of techniques for making such alterations are described in Walder et al., 1986, Gene 42:133; Bauer et al. 1985, Gene 37:73; Craik, BioTechniques, January 1985, 12-19; Smith et al., 1981, Genetic Engineering: Principles and Methods, Plenum Press; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,518,584 and 4,737,462. These and other methods can be used to make, for example, derivatives of anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies that have a desired property, for example, increased affinity, avidity, or specificity for IL-21 receptor, increased activity or stability in vivo or in vitro, or reduced in vivo side-effects as compared to the underivatized antibody.

Other derivatives of anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies within the scope of this invention include covalent or aggregative conjugates of anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies, or fragments thereof, with other proteins or polypeptides, such as by expression of recombinant fusion proteins comprising heterologous polypeptides fused to the N-terminus or C-terminus of an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody polypeptide. For example, the conjugated peptide may be a heterologous signal (or leader) polypeptide, e.g., the yeast alpha-factor leader, or a peptide such as an epitope tag. Antigen binding protein-containing fusion proteins can comprise peptides added to facilitate purification or identification of antigen binding protein (e.g., poly-His). An antigen binding protein also can be linked to the FLAG peptide Asp-Tyr-Lys-Asp-Asp-Asp-Asp-Lys (DYKDDDDK) (SEQ ID NO: 1) as described in Hopp et al., Bio/Technology 6:1204, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,912. The FLAG peptide is highly antigenic and provides an epitope reversibly bound by a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb), enabling rapid assay and facile purification of expressed recombinant protein. Reagents useful for preparing fusion proteins in which the FLAG peptide is fused to a given polypeptide are commercially available (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.).

Oligomers that contain one or more antigen binding proteins may be employed as IL-21 receptor antagonists. Oligomers may be in the form of covalently-linked or non-covalently-linked dimers, trimers, or higher oligomers. Oligomers comprising two or more antigen binding protein are contemplated for use, with one example being a homodimer. Other oligomers include heterodimers, homotrimers, heterotrimers, homotetramers, heterotetramers, etc.

One embodiment is directed to oligomers comprising multiple antigen binding proteins joined via covalent or non-covalent interactions between peptide moieties fused to theantigen binding proteins. Such peptides may be peptide linkers (spacers), or peptides that have the property of promoting oligomerization. Leucine zippers and certain polypeptides derived from antibodies are among the peptides that can promote oligomerization of antigen binding proteins attached thereto, as described in more detail below.

In particular embodiments, the oligomers comprise from two to four antigen binding proteins. The antigen binding proteins of the oligomer may be in any form, such as any of the forms described above, e.g., variants or fragments. Preferably, the oligomers comprise antigen binding proteins that have IL-21 receptor binding activity.

In one embodiment, an oligomer is prepared using polypeptides derived from immunoglobulins. Preparation of fusion proteins comprising certain heterologous polypeptides fused to various portions of antibody-derived polypeptides (including the Fc domain) has been described, e.g., by Ashkenazi et al., 1991, PNAS USA 88:10535; Byrn et al., 1990, Nature 344:677; and Hollenbaugh et al., 1992 “Construction of Immunoglobulin Fusion Proteins”, in Current Protocols in Immunology, Suppl. 4, pages 10.19.1-10.19.11.

One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a dimer comprising two fusion proteins created by fusing an IL-21 receptor binding fragment of an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody to the Fc region of an antibody. The dimer can be made by, for example, inserting a gene fusion encoding the fusion protein into an appropriate expression vector, expressing the gene fusion in host cells transformed with the recombinant expression vector, and allowing the expressed fusion protein to assemble much like antibody molecules, whereupon interchain disulfide bonds form between the Fc moieties to yield the dimer.

The term “Fc polypeptide” as used herein includes native and mutein forms of polypeptides derived from the Fc region of an antibody. Truncated forms of such polypeptides containing the hinge region that promotes dimerization also are included. Fusion proteins comprising Fc moieties (and oligomers formed therefrom) offer the advantage of facile purification by affinity chromatography over Protein A or Protein G columns.

One suitable Fc polypeptide, described in PCT application WO 93/10151 (hereby incorporated by reference), is a single chain polypeptide extending from the N-terminal hinge region to the native C-terminus of the Fc region of a human IgG1 antibody. Another useful Fc polypeptide is the Fc mutein described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,035 and in Baum et al., 1994, EMBO J. 13:3992-4001. The amino acid sequence of this mutein is identical to that of the native Fc sequence presented in WO 93/10151, except that amino acid 19 has been changed from Leu to Ala, amino acid 20 has been changed from Leu to Glu, and amino acid 22 has been changed from Gly to Ala. The mutein exhibits reduced affinity for Fc receptors.

In other embodiments, the variable portion of the heavy and/or light chains of an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody may be substituted for the variable portion of an antibody heavy and/or light chain.

Alternatively, the oligomer is a fusion protein comprising multiple antigen binding proteins, with or without peptide linkers (spacer peptides). Among the suitable peptide linkers are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,751,180 and 4,935,233.

Another method for preparing oligomeric antigen binding proteins involves use of a leucine zipper. Leucine zipper domains are peptides that promote oligomerization of the proteins in which they are found. Leucine zippers were originally identified in several DNA-binding proteins (Landschulz et al., 1988, Science 240:1759), and have since been found in a variety of different proteins. Among the known leucine zippers are naturally occurring peptides and derivatives thereof that dimerize or trimerize. Examples of leucine zipper domains suitable for producing soluble oligomeric proteins are described in PCT application WO 94/10308, and the leucine zipper derived from lung surfactant protein D (SPD) described in Hoppe et al., 1994, FEBS Letters 344:191, hereby incorporated by reference. The use of a modified leucine zipper that allows for stable trimerization of a heterologous protein fused thereto is described in Fanslow et al., 1994, Semin. Immunol. 6:267-78. In one approach, recombinant fusion proteins comprising an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody fragment or derivative fused to a leucine zipper peptide are expressed in suitable host cells, and the soluble oligomeric anti-IL-21 receptor antibody fragments or derivatives that form are recovered from the culture supernatant.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an antigen binding protein that binds to the ligand binding domain of human IL-21 receptor. Antigen binding proteins that bind to the ligand binding domain can be made using any technique known in the art. For example, such antigen binding proteins can be isolated using the full-length IL-21 receptor polypeptide (e.g., in a membrane-bound preparation), a soluble extracellular domain fragment of IL-21 receptor, or a smaller fragment of the IL-21 receptor extracellular domain comprising or consisting of the ligand binding domain. Antigen binding proteins so isolated can be screened to determine their binding specificity using any method known in the art. Examples of suitable assays are assays that test the antigen binding proteins for the ability to inhibit binding of IL-21 to cells expressing IL-21 receptor, or that test antigen binding proteins for the ability to reduce a biological or cellular response that results from the binding of IL-21 to cell surface IL-21 receptor receptors.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an antigen binding protein that binds to the same epitope as a reference antibody disclosed herein, for example, 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, or 37G3, as disclosed in FIGS. 2 through 13 or in the Examples. In one embodiment, the antigen binding protein competes for binding to human IL-21 receptor with the reference antibody. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein and the reference antibody cross-compete for binding to human IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the epitope of the reference antibody and of the antigen binding protein is determined by solving the X-ray crystal structure of the antibody or antigen binding protein bound to human IL-21 receptor, for example, to a soluble fragment of human IL-21 receptor. In one such embodiment, the epitope is defined as those residues on the surface of human IL-21 receptor that show at least a 10% reduction in solvent accessibility when the reference antibody or the antigen binding protein is bound to it as compared to when it is bound to neither. In one embodiment, the epitope substantially overlaps the IL-21 binding domain of human IL-21 receptor.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an antigen binding protein that demonstrates species selectivity. In one embodiment, the antigen binding protein binds to one or more mammalian IL-21 receptors, for example, to human IL-21 receptor and to one or more of mouse, rat, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, cat, rabbit, dog, goat, sheep, cow, horse, camel, and non-human primate IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein binds to one or more primate IL-21 receptors, for example, to human IL-21 receptor and to one or more of cynomologous, marmoset, rhesus, and chimpanzee IL-21 receptors. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein binds specifically to human, cynomologous, marmoset, rhesus, or chimpanzee IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein does not bind to one or more of mouse, rat, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, cat, rabbit, dog, goat, sheep, cow, horse, camel, and non-human primate IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein does not bind to a New World monkey species such as a marmoset. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein does not exhibit specific binding to any naturally occurring protein other than IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein does not exhibit specific binding to any naturally occurring protein other than mammalian IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein does not exhibit specific binding to any naturally occurring protein other than primate IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein does not exhibit specific binding to any naturally occurring protein other than human IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein specifically binds to mouse, rat, cynomolgus monkey, and human IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein specifically binds to mouse, rat, cynomolgus monkey, and human IL-21 receptor with a similar binding affinity. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein blocks binding of human IL-21 with mouse, rat, cynomolgus monkey, and human IL-21 receptor. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein blocks binding of human IL-21 with mouse, rat, cynomolgus monkey, and human IL-21 receptor with similar K.

One may determine the selectivity of an antigen binding protein for an IL-21 receptor using methods well known in the art and following the teachings of the specification. For example, one may determine the selectivity using Western blot, FACS, ELISA or RIA.

Antigen-binding fragments of antigen binding proteins of the invention may be produced by conventional techniques. Examples of such fragments include, but are not limited to, Fab and F(ab′)2 fragments. Antibody fragments and derivatives produced by genetic engineering techniques also are contemplated.

Additional embodiments include chimeric antibodies, e.g., humanized versions of non-human (e.g., murine) monoclonal antibodies. Such humanized antibodies may be prepared by known techniques, and offer the advantage of reduced immunogenicity when the antibodies are administered to humans. In one embodiment, a humanized monoclonal antibody comprises the variable domain of a murine antibody (or all or part of the antigen binding site thereof) and a constant domain derived from a human antibody. Alternatively, a humanized antibody fragment may comprise the antigen binding site of a murine monoclonal antibody and a variable domain fragment (lacking the antigen-binding site) derived from a human antibody. Procedures for the production of chimeric and further engineered monoclonal antibodies include those described in Riechmann et al., 1988, Nature 332:323, Liu et al., 1987, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 84:3439, Larrick et al., 1989, Bio/Technology 7:934, and Winter et al., 1993, TIPS 14:139. In one embodiment, the chimeric antibody is a CDR grafted antibody. Techniques for humanizing antibodies are discussed in, e.g., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/194,975 (published Feb. 27, 2003), U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,869,619, 5,225,539, 5,821,337, 5,859,205, Padlan et al., 1995, FASEB J. 9:133-39, and Tamura et al., 2000, J. Immunol. 164:1432-41.

Procedures have been developed for generating human or partially human antibodies in non-human animals. For example, mice in which one or more endogenous immunoglobulin genes have been inactivated by various means have been prepared. Human immunoglobulin genes have been introduced into the mice to replace the inactivated mouse genes. Antibodies produced in the animal incorporate human immunoglobulin polypeptide chains encoded by the human genetic material introduced into the animal. In one embodiment, a non-human animal, such as a transgenic mouse, is immunized with an IL-21 receptor polypeptide, such that antibodies directed against the IL-21 receptor polypeptide are generated in the animal. One example of a suitable immunogen is a soluble human IL-21 receptor, such as a polypeptide comprising its extracellular domain or other immunogenic fragment. Examples of techniques for production and use of transgenic animals for the production of human or partially human antibodies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,814,318, 5,569,825, and 5,545,806, Davis et al., 2003, Production of human antibodies from transgenic mice in Lo, ed. Antibody Engineering: Methods and Protocols, Humana Press, NJ: 191-200, Kellermann et al., 2002, Curr Opin Biotechnol. 13:593-97, Russel et al., 2000, Infect Immun. 68:1820-26, Gallo et al., 2000, Eur J. Immun. 30:534-40, Davis et al., 1999, Cancer Metastasis Rev. 18:421-25, Green, 1999, J Immunol Methods. 231:11-23, Jakobovits, 1998, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 31:33-42, Green et al., 1998, J Exp Med. 188:483-95, Jakobovits A, 1998, Exp. Opin. Invest. Drugs. 7:607-14, Tsuda et al., 1997, Genomics. 42:413-21, Mendez et al., 1997, Nat. Genet. 15:146-56, Jakobovits, 1994, Curr Biol. 4:761-63, Arbones et al., 1994, Immunity 1:247-60, Green et al., 1994, Nat. Genet. 7:13-21, Jakobovits et al., 1993, Nature. 362:255-58, Jakobovits et al., 1993, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 90:2551-55. Chen, J., M. Trounstine, F. W. Alt, F. Young, C. Kurahara, J. Loring, D. Huszar “Immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in B cell deficient mice generated by targeted deletion of the JH locus.” International Immunology 5 (1993): 647-656, Choi et al., 1993, Nature Genetics 4: 117-23, Fishwild et al., 1996, Nature Biotechnology 14: 845-51, Harding et al., 1995, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Lonberg et al., 1994, Nature 368: 856-59, Lonberg, 1994, Transgenic Approaches to Human Monoclonal Antibodies in Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 113: 49-101, Lonberg et al., 1995, Internal Review of Immunology 13: 65-93, Neuberger, 1996, Nature Biotechnology 14: 826, Taylor et al., 1992, Nucleic Acids Research 20: 6287-95, Taylor et al., 1994, International Immunology 6: 579-91, Tomizuka et al., 1997, Nature Genetics 16: 133-43, Tomizuka et al., 2000, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 97: 722-27, Tuaillon et al., 1993, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 90: 3720-24, and Tuaillon et al., 1994, Journal of Immunology 152: 2912-20.

In another aspect, the present invention provides monoclonal antibodies that bind to IL-21 receptor. Monoclonal antibodies may be produced using any technique known in the art, e.g., by immortalizing spleen cells harvested from the transgenic animal after completion of the immunization schedule. The spleen cells can be immortalized using any technique known in the art, e.g., by fusing them with myeloma cells to produce hybridomas. Myeloma cells for use in hybridoma-producing fusion procedures preferably are non-antibody-producing, have high fusion efficiency, and enzyme deficiencies that render them incapable of growing in certain selective media which support the growth of only the desired fused cells (hybridomas). Examples of suitable cell lines for use in mouse fusions include Sp-20, P3-X63/Ag8, P3-X63-Ag8.653, NS1/1.Ag 4 1, Sp210-Ag14, FO, NSO/U, MPC-11, MPC11-X45-GTG 1.7 and S194/5XX0 Bul; examples of cell lines used in rat fusions include R210.RCY3, Y3-Ag 1.2.3, IR983F and 4B210. Other cell lines useful for cell fusions are U-266, GM1500-GRG2, LICR-LON-HMy2 and UC729-6.

In one embodiment, a hybridoma cell line is produced by immunizing an animal (e.g., a transgenic animal having human immunoglobulin sequences) with an IL-21 receptor immunogen; harvesting spleen cells from the immunized animal; fusing the harvested spleen cells to a myeloma cell line, thereby generating hybridoma cells; establishing hybridoma cell lines from the hybridoma cells, and identifying a hybridoma cell line that produces an antibody that binds an IL-21 receptor polypeptide. Such hybridoma cell lines, and anti-IL-21 receptor monoclonal antibodies produced by them, are encompassed by the present invention.

Monoclonal antibodies secreted by a hybridoma cell line can be purified using any technique known in the art. Hybridomas or mAbs may be further screened to identify mAbs with particular properties, such as the ability to block an IL-21 induced activity. Examples of such screens are provided in the examples below.

Molecular evolution of the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) in the center of the antibody binding site also has been used to isolate antibodies with increased affinity, for example, antibodies having increased affinity for c-erbB-2, as described by Schier et al., 1996, J. Mol. Biol. 263:551. Accordingly, such techniques are useful in preparing antibodies to IL-21 receptor.

Antigen binding proteins directed against an IL-21 receptor can be used, for example, in assays to detect the presence of IL-21 receptor polypeptides, either in vitro or in vivo. The antigen binding proteins also may be employed in purifying IL-21 receptor proteins by immunoaffinity chromatography. Those antigen binding proteins that additionally can block binding of IL-21 to IL-21 receptor may be used to inhibit a biological activity that results from such binding. Blocking antigen binding proteins can be used in the methods of the present invention. Such antigen binding proteins that function as IL-21 antagonists may be employed in treating any IL-21-induced condition, including but not limited to lupus, SLE, and arthritis. In one embodiment, a human anti-IL-21 receptor monoclonal antibody generated by procedures involving immunization of transgenic mice is employed in treating such conditions.

Antigen binding proteins may be employed in an in vitro procedure, or administered in vivo to inhibit an IL-21-induced biological activity. Disorders caused or exacerbated (directly or indirectly) by the interaction of IL-21 with cell surface IL-21 receptor, examples of which are provided above, thus may be treated. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a therapeutic method comprising in vivo administration of an IL-21 blocking antigen binding protein to a mammal in need thereof in an amount effective for reducing an IL-21-induced biological activity.

Antigen binding proteins of the invention include partially human and fully human monoclonal antibodies that inhibit a biological activity of IL-21. One embodiment is directed to a human monoclonal antibody that at least partially blocks binding of IL-21 to a cell that expresses human IL-21 receptor. In one embodiment, the antibodies are generated by immunizing a transgenic mouse with an IL-21 receptor immunogen. In another embodiment, the immunogen is a human IL-21 receptor polypeptide (e.g., a soluble fragment comprising all or part of the IL-21 receptor extracellular domain). Hybridoma cell lines derived from such immunized mice, wherein the hybridoma secretes a monoclonal antibody that binds IL-21 receptor, also are provided herein.

Although human, partially human, or humanized antibodies will be suitable for many applications, particularly those involving administration of the antibody to a human subject, other types of antigen binding proteins will be suitable for certain applications. The non-human antibodies of the invention can be, for example, derived from any antibody-producing animal, such as mouse, rat, rabbit, goat, donkey, or non-human primate (such as monkey (e.g., cynomologous or rhesus monkey) or ape (e.g., chimpanzee)). Non-human antibodies of the invention can be used, for example, in in vitro and cell-culture based applications, or any other application where an immune response to the antibody of the invention does not occur, is insignificant, can be prevented, is not a concern, or is desired. In one embodiment, a non-human antibody of the invention is administered to a non-human subject. In another embodiment, the non-human antibody does not elicit an immune response in the non-human subject. In another embodiment, the non-human antibody is from the same species as the non-human subject, e.g., a mouse antibody of the invention is administered to a mouse. An antibody from a particular species can be made by, for example, immunizing an animal of that species with the desired immunogen (e.g., a soluble IL-21 receptor polypeptide) or using an artificial system for generating antibodies of that species (e.g., a bacterial or phage display-based system for generating antibodies of a particular species), or by converting an antibody from one species into an antibody from another species by replacing, e.g., the constant region of the antibody with a constant region from the other species, or by replacing one or more amino acid residues of the antibody so that it more closely resembles the sequence of an antibody from the other species. In one embodiment, the antibody is a chimeric antibody comprising amino acid sequences derived from antibodies from two or more different species.

Antigen binding proteins may be prepared by any of a number of conventional techniques. For example, they may be purified from cells that naturally express them (e.g., an antibody can be purified from a hybridoma that produces it), or produced in recombinant expression systems, using any technique known in the art. See, for example, Monoclonal Antibodies, Hybridomas: A New Dimension in Biological Analyses, Kennet et al. (eds.), Plenum Press, New York (1980); and Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Harlow and Land (eds.), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., (1988).

Any expression system known in the art can be used to make the recombinant polypeptides of the invention. In general, host cells are transformed with a recombinant expression vector that comprises DNA encoding a desired polypeptide. Among the host cells that may be employed are prokaryotes, yeast or higher eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotes include gram negative or gram positive organisms, for example E. coli or bacilli. Higher eukaryotic cells include insect cells and established cell lines of mammalian origin. Examples of suitable mammalian host cell lines include the COS-7 line of monkey kidney cells (ATCC CRL 1651) (Gluzman et al., 1981, Cell 23:175), L cells, 293 cells, C127 cells, 3T3 cells (ATCC CCL 163), Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, HeLa cells, BHK (ATCC CRL 10) cell lines, and the CV1/EBNA cell line derived from the African green monkey kidney cell line CV1 (ATCC CCL 70) as described by McMahan et al., 1991, EMBO J. 10: 2821. Appropriate cloning and expression vectors for use with bacterial, fungal, yeast, and mammalian cellular hosts are described by Pouwels et al. (Cloning Vectors: A Laboratory Manual, Elsevier, New York, 1985).

The transformed cells can be cultured under conditions that promote expression of the polypeptide, and the polypeptide recovered by conventional protein purification procedures. One such purification procedure includes the use of affinity chromatography, e.g., over a matrix having all or a portion (e.g., the extracellular domain) of IL-21 receptor bound thereto. Polypeptides contemplated for use herein include substantially homogeneous recombinant mammalian anti-IL-21 receptor antibody polypeptides substantially free of contaminating endogenous materials.

Antigen binding proteins may be prepared, and screened for desired properties, by any of a number of known techniques. Certain of the techniques involve isolating a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide chain (or portion thereof) of an antigen binding protein of interest (e.g., an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody), and manipulating the nucleic acid through recombinant DNA technology. The nucleic acid may be fused to another nucleic acid of interest, or altered (e.g., by mutagenesis or other conventional techniques) to add, delete, or substitute one or more amino acid residues, for example.

In one aspect, the present invention provides antigen-binding fragments of an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody of the invention. Such fragments can consist entirely of antibody-derived sequences or can comprise additional sequences. Examples of antigen-binding fragments include Fab, F(ab′)2, single chain antibodies, diabodies, triabodies, tetrabodies, and domain antibodies. Other examples are provided in Lunde et al., 2002, Biochem. Soc. Trans. 30:500-06.

Single chain antibodies may be formed by linking heavy and light chain variable domain (Fv region) fragments via an amino acid bridge (short peptide linker), resulting in a single polypeptide chain. Such single-chain Fvs (scFvs) have been prepared by fusing DNA encoding a peptide linker between DNAs encoding the two variable domain polypeptides (VL and VH). The resulting polypeptides can fold back on themselves to form antigen-binding monomers, or they can form multimers (e.g., dimers, trimers, or tetramers), depending on the length of a flexible linker between the two variable domains (Kortt et al., 1997, Prot. Eng. 10:423; Kortt et al., 2001, Biomol. Eng. 18:95-108). By combining different VL and VH-comprising polypeptides, one can form multimeric scFvs that bind to different epitopes (Kriangkum et al., 2001, Biomol. Eng. 18:31-40). Techniques developed for the production of single chain antibodies include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,778; Bird, 1988, Science 242:423; Huston et al., 1988, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:5879; Ward et al., 1989, Nature 334:544, de Graaf et al., 2002, Methods Mol. Biol. 178:379-87. Single chain antibodies derived from antibodies provided herein include, but are not limited to, scFvs comprising one or more variable domain sequences, or one or more CDR sequences from one or more variable domain sequences, disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, antigen binding proteins (e.g., antibodies, antibody fragments, and antibody derivatives) of the invention comprise a light chain and/or a heavy chain antibody constant region. Any antibody constant regions known in the art can be used. The light chain constant region can be, for example, a kappa- or lambda-type light chain constant region, e.g., a human kappa- or lambda-type light chain constant region. The heavy chain constant region can be, for example, an alpha-, delta-, epsilon-, gamma-, or mu-type heavy chain constant regions, e.g., a human alpha-, delta-, epsilon-, gamma-, or mu-type heavy chain constant region. In one embodiment, the light or heavy chain constant region is a fragment, derivative, variant, or mutein of a naturally occurring constant region.

Techniques are known for deriving an antibody of a different subclass or isotype from an antibody of interest, i.e., subclass switching. Thus, IgG antibodies may be derived from an IgM antibody, for example, and vice versa. Such techniques allow the preparation of new antibodies that possess the antigen-binding properties of a given antibody (the parent antibody), but also exhibit biological properties associated with an antibody isotype or subclass different from that of the parent antibody. Recombinant DNA techniques may be employed. Cloned DNA encoding particular antibody polypeptides may be employed in such procedures, e.g., DNA encoding the constant domain of an antibody of the desired isotype. See also Lantto et al., 2002, Methods Mol. Biol. 178:303-16.

Accordingly, the antigen binding proteins of the present invention include those comprising, for example, one or more of the variable domain sequences disclosed herein and having a desired isotype (for example, IgA, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgM, IgE, and IgD), as well as Fab or F(ab′)2 fragments thereof. Moreover, if an IgG4 is desired, it may also be desired to introduce a point mutation (CPSCP (SEQ ID NO: 2)->CPPCP (SEQ ID NO: 3)) in the hinge region as described in Bloom et al., 1997, Protein Science 6:407, incorporated by reference herein) to alleviate a tendency to form intra-H chain disulfide bonds that can lead to heterogeneity in the IgG4 antibodies.

Techniques for deriving antigen binding proteins having different properties (i.e., varying affinities for the antigen to which they bind) are also known. One such technique, referred to as chain shuffling, involves displaying immunoglobulin variable domain gene repertoires on the surface of filamentous bacteriophage, often referred to as phage display. Chain shuffling has been used to prepare high affinity antibodies to the hapten 2-phenyloxazol-5-one, as described by Marks et al., 1992, BioTechnology, 10:779.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an antigen binding protein that has a low dissociation rate from IL-21 receptor. In one embodiment, the antigen binding protein has a K_(off) of 1×10 s⁻¹ or lower. In another embodiment, the K_(off) is 5×10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ or lower. In another embodiment, the K_(off) is substantially the same as an antibody disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein binds to IL-21 receptor with substantially the same K_(off) as an antibody disclosed herein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein binds to IL-21 receptor with substantially the same K_(off) as an antibody that comprises one or more CDRs from an antibody disclosed herein.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an antigen binding protein having a half-life of at least one day in vitro or in vivo (e.g., when administered to a human subject). In one embodiment, the antigen binding protein has a half-life of at least three days. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein has a half-life of four days or longer. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein has a half-life of eight days or longer. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein is derivatized or modified such that it has a longer half-life as compared to the underivatized or unmodified antigen binding protein. In another embodiment, the antigen binding protein contains one or more point mutations to increase serum half life, such as described in WO 00/09560, published Feb. 24, 2000, incorporated by reference.

The present invention further provides multi-specific antigen binding proteins, for example, bispecific antigen binding protein, e.g., antigen binding protein that bind to two different epitopes of IL-21 receptor, or to an epitope of IL-21 receptor and an epitope of another molecule, via two different antigen binding sites or regions. Moreover, bispecific antigen binding protein as disclosed herein can comprise an IL-21 receptor binding site from one of the herein-described antibodies and a second IL-21 receptor binding region from another of the herein-described antibodies, including those described herein by reference to other publications. Alternatively, a bispecific antigen binding protein may comprise an antigen binding site from one of the herein described antibodies and a second antigen binding site from another IL-21 receptor antibody that is known in the art, or from an antibody that is prepared by known methods or the methods described herein.

Numerous methods of preparing bispecific antibodies are known in the art, and discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,632, filed Apr. 20, 2001 (incorporated by reference herein). Such methods include the use of hybrid-hybridomas as described by Milstein et al., 1983, Nature 305:537, and others (U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,893, U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,833), and chemical coupling of antibody fragments (Brennan et al., 1985, Science 229:81; Glennie et al., 1987, J. Immunol. 139:2367; U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,902). Moreover, bispecific antibodies can be produced via recombinant means, for example by using leucine zipper moieties (i.e., from the Fos and Jun proteins, which preferentially form heterodimers; Kostelny et al., 1992, J. Immunol. 148:1547) or other lock and key interactive domain structures as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,996. Additional useful techniques include those described in Kortt et al., 1997, supra; U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,083; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,706.

In another aspect, the antigen binding protein of the present invention comprises a derivative of an antibody. The derivatized antibody can comprise any molecule or substance that imparts a desired property to the antibody, such as increased half-life in a particular use. The derivatized antibody can comprise, for example, a detectable (or labeling) moiety (e.g., a radioactive, colorimetric, antigenic or enzymatic molecule, a detecable bead (such as a magnetic or electrodense (e.g., gold) bead), or a molecule that binds to another molecule (e.g., biotin or streptavidin)), a therapeutic or diagnostic moiety (e.g., a radioactive, cytotoxic, or pharmaceutically active moiety), or a molecule that increases the suitability of the antibody for a particular use (e.g., administration to a subject, such as a human subject, or other in vivo or in vitro uses). Examples of molecules that can be used to derivatize an antibody include albumin (e.g., human serum albumin) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Albumin-linked and PEGylated derivatives of antibodies can be prepared using techniques well known in the art. In one embodiment, the antibody is conjugated or otherwise linked to transthyretin (TTR) or a TTR variant. The TTR or TTR variant can be chemically modified with, for example, a chemical selected from the group consisting of dextran, poly(n-vinyl pyurrolidone), polyethylene glycols, propropylene glycol homopolymers, polypropylene oxide/ethylene oxide co-polymers, polyoxyethylated polyols and polyvinyl alcohols. US Pat. App. No. 20030195154.

In another aspect, the present invention provides methods of screening for a molecule that binds to IL-21 receptor using the antigen binding proteins of the present invention. Any suitable screening technique can be used. In one embodiment, an IL-21 receptor molecule, or a fragment thereof to which an antigen binding protein of the present invention binds, is contacted with the antigen binding protein of the invention and with another molecule, wherein the other molecule binds to IL-21 receptor if it reduces the binding of the antigen binding protein to IL-21 receptor. Binding of the antigen binding protein can be detected using any suitable method, e.g., an ELISA. Detection of binding of the antigen binding protein to IL-21 receptor can be simplified by detectably labeling the antigen binding protein, as discussed above. In another embodiment, the IL-21 receptor-binding molecule is further analyzed to determine whether it inhibits IL-21 receptor-mediated signaling.

Nucleic Acids

In one aspect, the present invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules. The nucleic acids comprise, for example, polynucleotides that encode all or part of an antigen binding protein, for example, one or both chains of an antibody of the invention, or a fragment, derivative, mutein, or variant thereof, polynucleotides sufficient for use as hybridization probes, PCR primers or sequencing primers for identifying, analyzing, mutating or amplifying a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide, anti-sense nucleic acids for inhibiting expression of a polynucleotide, and complementary sequences of the foregoing. The nucleic acids can be any length. They can be, for example, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 750, 1,000, 1,500, 3,000, 5,000 or more nucleotides in length, and/or can comprise one or more additional sequences, for example, regulatory sequences, and/or be part of a larger nucleic acid, for example, a vector. The nucleic acids can be single-stranded or double-stranded and can comprise RNA and/or DNA nucleotides, and artificial variants thereof (e.g., peptide nucleic acids).

Nucleic acids encoding antibody polypeptides (e.g., heavy or light chain, variable domain only, or full length) may be isolated from B-cells of mice that have been immunized with IL-21 receptor. The nucleic acid may be isolated by conventional procedures such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Representative nucleic acid sequences encoding some of the antibodies of the invention are disclosed herein. Particular nucleic acid sequences encoding the variable domains of antibodies 10C2, 8B9, 8B9.13, 29G8, 31C5, 29G2, 31E7, 34H7, 30G3, and 37G3 are provided in FIGS. 3 and 5. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, each of the polypeptide sequences disclosed herein is encoded by a large number of nucleic acid sequences. The present invention provides each degenerate nucleotide sequence encoding each antigen binding protein or other polypeptide of the invention.

The invention further provides nucleic acids that hybridize to other nucleic acids (e.g., nucleic acids comprising a nucleotide sequence disclosed herein) under particular hybridization conditions. Methods for hybridizing nucleic acids are well-known in the art. See, e.g., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, N.Y. (1989), 6.3.1-6.3.6. As defined herein, a moderately stringent hybridization condition uses a prewashing solution containing 5× sodium chloride/sodium citrate (SSC), 0.5% SDS, 1.0 mM EDTA (pH 8.0), hybridization buffer of about 50% formamide, 6×SSC, and a hybridization temperature of 55° C. (or other similar hybridization solutions, such as one containing about 50% formamide, with a hybridization temperature of 42° C.), and washing conditions of 60° C., in 0.5×SSC, 0.1% SDS. A stringent hybridization condition hybridizes in 6×SSC at 45° C., followed by one or more washes in 0.1×SSC, 0.2% SDS at 68° C. Furthermore, one of skill in the art can manipulate the hybridization and/or washing conditions to increase or decrease the stringency of hybridization such that nucleic acids comprising nucleotide sequences that are at least 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 98 or 99% identical to each other typically remain hybridized to each other. The basic parameters affecting the choice of hybridization conditions and guidance for devising suitable conditions are set forth by, for example, Sambrook, Fritsch, and Maniatis (1989, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., chapters 9 and 11; and Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, 1995, Ausubel et al., eds., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., sections 2.10 and 6.3-6.4), and can be readily determined by those having ordinary skill in the art based on, for example, the length and/or base composition of the DNA.

Changes can be introduced by mutation into a nucleic acid, thereby leading to changes in the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide (e.g., an antigen binding protein) that it encodes. Mutations can be introduced using any technique known in the art. In one embodiment, one or more particular amino acid residues are changed using, for example, a site-directed mutagenesis protocol. In another embodiment, one or more randomly selected residues is changed using, for example, a random mutagenesis protocol. However it is made, a mutant polypeptide can be expressed and screened for a desired property (e.g., binding to IL-21 receptor or blocking the binding of IL-21 to IL-21 receptor).

Mutations can be introduced into a nucleic acid without significantly altering the biological activity of a polypeptide that it encodes. For example, one can make nucleotide substitutions leading to amino acid substitutions at non-essential amino acid residues. In one embodiment, a nucleotide sequence provided herein, or a desired fragment, variant, or derivative thereof, is mutated such that it encodes an amino acid sequence comprising one or more deletions, substitutions, or additions of amino acid residues. In another embodiment, one or more mutations are introduced into a nucleic acid that selectively change the biological activity (e.g., binding of IL-21 receptor, inhibiting IL-21 binding, etc.) of a polypeptide that it encodes. For example, the mutation can quantitatively or qualitatively change the biological activity. Examples of quantitative changes include increasing, reducing or eliminating the activity. Examples of qualitative changes include changing the antigen specificity of an antigen binding protein.

In another aspect, the present invention provides nucleic acid molecules that are suitable for use as primers or hybridization probes for the detection of nucleic acid sequences of the invention. A nucleic acid molecule of the invention can comprise only a portion of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a full-length polypeptide of the invention, for example, a fragment that can be used as a probe or primer or a fragment encoding an active portion (e.g., an IL-21 receptor binding portion) of a polypeptide of the invention.

Probes based on the sequence of a nucleic acid of the invention can be used to detect the nucleic acid or similar nucleic acids, for example, transcripts encoding a polypeptide of the invention. The probe can comprise a label group, e.g., a radioisotope, a fluorescent compound, an enzyme, or an enzyme co-factor. Such probes can be used to identify a cell that expresses the polypeptide.

In another aspect, the present invention provides vectors comprising a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide of the invention or a portion thereof. Examples of vectors include, but are not limited to, plasmids, viral vectors, non-episomal mammalian vectors and expression vectors, for example, recombinant expression vectors.

The recombinant expression vectors of the invention can comprise a nucleic acid of the invention in a form suitable for expression of the nucleic acid in a host cell. The recombinant expression vectors include one or more regulatory sequences, selected on the basis of the host cells to be used for expression, which is operably linked to the nucleic acid sequence to be expressed. Regulatory sequences include those that direct constitutive expression of a nucleotide sequence in many types of host cells (e.g., SV40 early gene enhancer, Rous sarcoma virus promoter and cytomegalovirus promoter), those that direct expression of the nucleotide sequence only in certain host cells (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory sequences, see Voss et al., 1986, Trends Biochem. Sci. 11:287, Maniatis et al., 1987, Science 236:1237, incorporated by reference herein in their entireties), and those that direct inducible expression of a nucleotide sequence in response to particular treatment or condition (e.g., the metallothionin promoter in mammalian cells and the tet-responsive and/or streptomycin responsive promoter in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems (see id.). It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the design of the expression vector can depend on such factors as the choice of the host cell to be transformed, the level of expression of protein desired, etc. The expression vectors of the invention can be introduced into host cells to thereby produce proteins or peptides, including fusion proteins or peptides, encoded by nucleic acids as described herein.

In another aspect, the present invention provides host cells into which a recombinant expression vector of the invention has been introduced. A host cell can be any prokaryotic cell (for example, E. coli) or eukaryotic cell (for example, yeast, insect, or mammalian cells (e.g., CHO cells)). Vector DNA can be introduced into prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells via conventional transformation or transfection techniques. For stable transfection of mammalian cells, it is known that, depending upon the expression vector and transfection technique used, only a small fraction of cells may integrate the foreign DNA into their genome. In order to identify and select these integrants, a gene that encodes a selectable marker (e.g., for resistance to antibiotics) is generally introduced into the host cells along with the gene of interest. Preferred selectable markers include those which confer resistance to drugs, such as G418, hygromycin and methotrexate. Cells stably transfected with the introduced nucleic acid can be identified by drug selection (e.g., cells that have incorporated the selectable marker gene will survive, while the other cells die), among other methods.

Methods of Making Anti-IL-21 Receptor Antigen Binding Proteins

A host cell comprising sequences that encode an anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of the invention can be used to make the anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein. Typically, expression vectors used in a host cell will contain sequences for plasmid maintenance and for cloning and expression of exogenous nucleotide sequences. Such sequences, collectively referred to as “flanking sequences” in certain embodiments will typically include one or more of the following nucleotide sequences: a promoter, one or more enhancer sequences, an origin of replication, a transcriptional termination sequence, a complete intron sequence containing a donor and acceptor splice site, a sequence encoding a leader sequence for polypeptide secretion, a ribosome binding site, a polyadenylation sequence, a polylinker region for inserting the nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide to be expressed, and a selectable marker element. Each of these sequences is discussed below.

Optionally, the vector may contain a “tag”-encoding sequence, i.e., an oligonucleotide molecule located at the 5′ or 3′ end of the anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein coding sequence(s); the oligonucleotide sequence encodes polyHis (such as hexaHis (SEQ ID NO: 4)), or another “tag” such as FLAG, HA (hemaglutinin influenza virus), or myc, for which commercially available antibodies exist. This tag is typically fused to the polypeptide upon expression of the polypeptide, and can serve as a means for affinity purification or detection of the anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein from the host cell. Affinity purification can be accomplished, for example, by column chromatography using antibodies against the tag as an affinity matrix. Optionally, the tag can subsequently be removed from the purified anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein polypeptide by various means such as using certain peptidases for cleavage.

Flanking sequences may be homologous (i.e., from the same species and/or strain as the host cell), heterologous (ie., from a species other than the host cell species or strain), hybrid (i.e., a combination of flanking sequences from more than one source), synthetic or native. As such, the source of a flanking sequence may be any prokaryotic or eukaryotic organism, any vertebrate or invertebrate organism, or any plant, provided that the flanking sequence is functional in, and can be activated by, the host cell machinery.

Flanking sequences useful in the vectors of this invention may be obtained by any of several methods well known in the art. Typically, flanking sequences useful herein will have been previously identified by mapping and/or by restriction endonuclease digestion and can thus be isolated from the proper tissue source using the appropriate restriction endonucleases. In some cases, the full nucleotide sequence of a flanking sequence may be known. Here, the flanking sequence may be synthesized using the methods described herein for nucleic acid synthesis or cloning.

Whether all or only a portion of the flanking sequence is known, it may be obtained using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or by screening a genomic library with a suitable probe such as an oligonucleotide and/or flanking sequence fragment from the same or another species. Where the flanking sequence is not known, a fragment of DNA containing a flanking sequence may be isolated from a larger piece of DNA that may contain, for example, a coding sequence or even another gene or genes. Isolation may be accomplished by restriction endonuclease digestion to produce the proper DNA fragment followed by isolation using agarose gel purification, Qiagene® column chromatography (Chatsworth, Calif.), or other methods known to the skilled artisan. The selection of suitable enzymes to accomplish this purpose will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

An origin of replication is typically a part of those prokaryotic expression vectors purchased commercially, and the origin aids in the amplification of the vector in a host cell. If the vector of choice does not contain an origin of replication site, one may be chemically synthesized based on a known sequence, and ligated into the vector. For example, the origin of replication from the plasmid pBR322 (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.) is suitable for most gram-negative bacteria, and various viral origins (e.g., SV40, polyoma, adenovirus, vesicular stomatitus virus (VSV), or papillomaviruses such as HPV or BPV) are useful for cloning vectors in mammalian cells. Generally, the origin of replication component is not needed for mammalian expression vectors (for example, the SV40 origin is often used only because it also contains the virus early promoter).

A transcription termination sequence is typically located 3′ to the end of a polypeptide coding region and serves to terminate transcription. Usually, a transcription termination sequence in prokaryotic cells is a G-C rich fragment followed by a poly-T sequence. While the sequence is easily cloned from a library or even purchased commercially as part of a vector, it can also be readily synthesized using methods for nucleic acid synthesis such as those described herein.

A selectable marker gene encodes a protein necessary for the survival and growth of a host cell grown in a selective culture medium. Typical selection marker genes encode proteins that (a) confer resistance to antibiotics or other toxins, e.g., ampicillin, tetracycline, or kanamycin for prokaryotic host cells; (b) complement auxotrophic deficiencies of the cell; or (c) supply critical nutrients not available from complex or defined media. Preferred selectable markers are the kanamycin resistance gene, the ampicillin resistance gene, and the tetracycline resistance gene. Advantageously, a neomycin resistance gene may also be used for selection in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic host cells.

Other selectable genes may be used to amplify the gene that will be expressed. Amplification is the process wherein genes that are required for production of a protein critical for growth or cell survival are reiterated in tandem within the chromosomes of successive generations of recombinant cells. Examples of suitable selectable markers for mammalian cells include dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and promoterless thymidine kinase genes. Mammalian cell transformants are placed under selection pressure wherein only the transformants are uniquely adapted to survive by virtue of the selectable gene present in the vector. Selection pressure is imposed by culturing the transformed cells under conditions in which the concentration of selection agent in the medium is successively increased, thereby leading to the amplification of both the selectable gene and the DNA that encodes another gene, such as an antibody that binds to IL-21 receptor polypeptide. As a result, increased quantities of a polypeptide such as an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody are synthesized from the amplified DNA.

A ribosome-binding site is usually necessary for translation initiation of mRNA and is characterized by a Shine-Dalgamo sequence (prokaryotes) or a Kozak sequence (eukaryotes). The element is typically located 3′ to the promoter and 5′ to the coding sequence of the polypeptide to be expressed.

In some cases, such as where glycosylation is desired in a eukaryotic host cell expression system, one may manipulate the various pre- or prosequences to improve glycosylation or yield. For example, one may alter the peptidase cleavage site of a particular signal peptide, or add pro-sequences, which also may affect glycosylation. The final protein product may have, in the −1 position (relative to the first amino acid of the mature protein) one or more additional amino acids incident to expression, which may not have been totally removed. For example, the final protein product may have one or two amino acid residues found in the peptidase cleavage site, attached to the amino-terminus. Alternatively, use of some enzyme cleavage sites may result in a slightly truncated form of the desired polypeptide, if the enzyme cuts at such area within the mature polypeptide.

Expression and cloning vectors of the invention will typically contain a promoter that is recognized by the host organism and operably linked to the molecule encoding the anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein. Promoters are untranscribed sequences located upstream (i.e., 5′) to the start codon of a structural gene (generally within about 100 to 1000 bp) that control transcription of the structural gene. Promoters are conventionally grouped into one of two classes: inducible promoters and constitutive promoters. Inducible promoters initiate increased levels of transcription from DNA under their control in response to some change in culture conditions, such as the presence or absence of a nutrient or a change in temperature. Constitutive promoters, on the other hand, uniformly transcribe gene to which they are operably linked, that is, with little or no control over gene expression. A large number of promoters, recognized by a variety of potential host cells, are well known. A suitable promoter is operably linked to the DNA encoding heavy chain or light chain comprising an anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of the invention by removing the promoter from the source DNA by restriction enzyme digestion and inserting the desired promoter sequence into the vector.

Suitable promoters for use with yeast hosts are also well known in the art. Yeast enhancers are advantageously used with yeast promoters. Suitable promoters for use with mammalian host cells are well known and include, but are not limited to, those obtained from the genomes of viruses such as polyoma virus, fowlpox virus, adenovirus (such as Adenovirus 2), bovine papilloma virus, avian sarcoma virus, cytomegalovirus, retroviruses, hepatitis-B virus and most preferably Simian Virus 40 (SV40). Other suitable mammalian promoters include heterologous mammalian promoters, for example, heat-shock promoters and the actin promoter.

Additional promoters which may be of interest include, but are not limited to: SV40 early promoter (Benoist and Chambon, 1981, Nature 290:304-10); CMV promoter (Thomsen et al., 1984, Proc. Natl. Acad. USA 81:659-663); the promoter contained in the 3′ long terminal repeat of Rous sarcoma virus (Yamamoto, et al., 1980, Cell 22:787-97); herpes thymidine kinase promoter (Wagner et al., 1981, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78:144445); promoter and regulatory sequences from the metallothionine gene (Brinster et al., 1982, Nature 296:39-42); and prokaryotic promoters such as the beta-lactamase promoter (VIIIa-Kamaroff et al., 1978, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 75:3727-31); or the tac promoter (DeBoer et al., 1983, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 80:21-25). Also of interest are the following animal transcriptional control regions, which exhibit tissue specificity and have been utilized in transgenic animals: the elastase I gene control region that is active in pancreatic acinar cells (Swift et al., 1984, Cell 38:63946; Ornitz et al., 1986, Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 50:399409 (1986); MacDonald, 1987, Hepatology 7:425-515); the insulin gene control region that is active in pancreatic beta cells (Hanahan, 1985, Nature 315:115-22); the immunoglobulin gene control region that is active in lymphoid cells (Grosschedl et al., 1984, Cell 38:647-58; Adames et al., 1985, Nature 318:533-38; Alexander et al., 1987, Mol. Cell. Biol, 7:1436-44); the mouse mammary tumor virus control region that is active in testicular, breast, lymphoid and mast cells (Leder et al., 1986, Cell 45:485-95); the albumin gene control region that is active in liver (Pinkert et al., 1987, Genes and Devel. 1:268-76); the alpha-feto-protein gene control region that is active in liver (Krumlauf et al., 1985, Mol. Cell. Biol., 5:1639-48; Hammer et al., 1987, Science 235:53-58); the alpha 1-antitrypsin gene control region that is active in liver (Kelsey et al., 1987, Genes and Devel. 1:161-71); the beta-globin gene control region that is active in myeloid cells (Mogram et al., 1985, Nature 315:33840; Kollias et al., 1986, Cell 46:89-94); the myelin basic protein gene control region that is active in oligodendrocyte cells in the brain (Readhead et al., 1987, Cell 48:703-12); the myosin light chain-2 gene control region that is active in skeletal muscle (Sani, 1985, Nature 314:283-86); and the gonadotropic releasing hormone gene control region that is active in the hypothalamus (Mason et al., 1986, Science 234:1372-78).

An enhancer sequence may be inserted into the vector to increase transcription of DNA encoding light chain or heavy chain comprising an anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of the invention by higher eukaryotes. Enhancers are cis-acting elements of DNA, usually about 10-300 bp in length, that act on the promoter to increase transcription. Enhancers are relatively orientation and position independent, having been found at positions both 5′ and 3′ to the transcription unit. Several enhancer sequences available from mammalian genes are known (e.g., globin, elastase, albumin, alpha-feto-protein and insulin). Typically, however, an enhancer from a virus is used. The SV40 enhancer, the cytomegalovirus early promoter enhancer, the polyoma enhancer, and adenovirus enhancers known in the art are exemplary enhancing elements for the activation of eukaryotic promoters. While an enhancer may be positioned in the vector either 5′ or 3′ to a coding sequence, it is typically located at a site 5′ from the promoter.

A sequence encoding an appropriate native or heterologous signal sequence (leader sequence or signal peptide) can be incorporated into an expression vector, to promote extracellular secretion of the antibody. The choice of signal peptide or leader depends on the type of host cells in which the antibody is to be produced, and a heterologous signal sequence can replace the native signal sequence. Examples of signal peptides that are functional in mammalian host cells include the following: the signal sequence for interleukin-7 (IL-7) described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,195; the signal sequence for interleukin-2 receptor described in Cosman et al. (1984, Nature 312: 768); the interleukin-4 receptor signal peptide described in EP Patent No. 0 367 566; the type I interleukin-1 receptor signal peptide described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,607; the type II interleukin-1 receptor signal peptide described in EP Patent No. 0 460 846; the signal sequence of human IgK; and the signal sequence of human growth hormone.

Expression vectors of the invention may be constructed from a starting vector such as a commercially available vector. Such vectors may or may not contain all of the desired flanking sequences. Where one or more of the flanking sequences described herein are not already present in the vector, they may be individually obtained and ligated into the vector. Methods used for obtaining each of the flanking sequences are well known to one skilled in the art.

After the vector has been constructed and a nucleic acid molecule encoding light chain, a heavy chain, or a light chain and a heavy chain comprising an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody has been inserted into the proper site of the vector, the completed vector may be inserted into a suitable host cell for amplification and/or polypeptide expression. The transformation of an expression vector for an anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein into a selected host cell may be accomplished by well known methods including transfection, infection, calcium phosphate co-precipitation, electroporation, microinjection, lipofection, DEAE-dextran mediated transfection, or other known techniques. The method selected will in part be a function of the type of host cell to be used.

A host cell, when cultured under appropriate conditions, synthesizes an anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein that can subsequently be collected from the culture medium (if the host cell secretes it into the medium) or directly from the host cell producing it (if it is not secreted). The selection of an appropriate host cell will depend upon various factors, such as desired expression levels, polypeptide modifications that are desirable or necessary for activity (such as glycosylation or phosphorylation) and ease of folding into a biologically active molecule.

Mammalian cell lines available as hosts for expression are well known in the art and include, but are not limited to, immortalized cell lines available from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), including but not limited to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, HeLa cells, baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, monkey kidney cells (COS), human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (e.g., Hep G2), and a number of other cell lines. In certain embodiments, cell lines may be selected through determining which cell lines have high expression levels and constitutively produce antibodies with IL-21 receptor binding properties. In another embodiment, a cell line from the B cell lineage that does not make its own antibody but has a capacity to make and secrete a heterologous antibody can be selected.

Formulations

In some embodiments, the invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a therapeutically effective amount of one or a plurality of the antibodies of the invention together with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent, carrier, solubilizer, emulsifier, preservative, and/or adjuvant. Preferably, acceptable formulation materials are nontoxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations employed. In preferred embodiments, pharmaceutical compositions comprising a therapeutically effective amount of anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies are provided.

In certain embodiments, acceptable formulation materials preferably are nontoxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations employed.

In certain embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition may contain formulation materials for modifying, maintaining or preserving, for example, the pH, osmolarity, viscosity, clarity, color, isotonicity, odor, sterility, stability, rate of dissolution or release, adsorption or penetration of the composition. In such embodiments, suitable formulation materials include, but are not limited to, amino acids (such as glycine, glutamine, asparagine, arginine or lysine); antimicrobials; antioxidants (such as ascorbic acid, sodium sulfite or sodium hydrogen-sulfite); buffers (such as borate, bicarbonate, Tris-HCl, citrates, phosphates or other organic acids); bulking agents (such as mannitol or glycine); chelating agents (such as ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)); complexing agents (such as caffeine, polyvinylpyrrolidone, beta-cyclodextrin or hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin); fillers; monosaccharides; disaccharides; and other carbohydrates (such as glucose, mannose or dextrins); proteins (such as serum albumin, gelatin or immunoglobulins); coloring, flavoring and diluting agents; emulsifying agents; hydrophilic polymers (such as polyvinylpyrrolidone); low molecular weight polypeptides; salt-forming counterions (such as sodium); preservatives (such as benzalkonium chloride, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, thimerosal, phenethyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, chlorhexidine, sorbic acid or hydrogen peroxide); solvents (such as glycerin, propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol); sugar alcohols (such as mannitol or sorbitol); suspending agents; surfactants or wetting agents (such as pluronics, PEG, sorbitan esters, polysorbates such as polysorbate 20, polysorbate 80, triton, tromethamine, lecithin, cholesterol, tyloxapal); stability enhancing agents (such as sucrose or sorbitol); tonicity enhancing agents (such as alkali metal halides, preferably sodium or potassium chloride, mannitol sorbitol); delivery vehicles; diluents; excipients and/or pharmaceutical adjuvants. See REMINGTON'S PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, 18th Edition, (A. R. Gennaro, ed.), 1990, Mack Publishing Company.

In certain embodiments, the optimal pharmaceutical composition will be determined by one skilled in the art depending upon, for example, the intended route of administration, delivery format and desired dosage. See, for example, REMINGTON′S PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, supra. In certain embodiments, such compositions may influence the physical state, stability, rate of in vivo release and rate of in vivo clearance of the antibodies of the invention.

In certain embodiments, the primary vehicle or carrier in a pharmaceutical composition may be either aqueous or non-aqueous in nature. For example, a suitable vehicle or carrier may be water for injection, physiological saline solution or artificial cerebrospinal fluid, possibly supplemented with other materials common in compositions for parenteral administration. Neutral buffered saline or saline mixed with serum albumin are further exemplary vehicles. In preferred embodiments, pharmaceutical compositions comprise Tris buffer of about pH 7.0-8.5, or acetate buffer of about pH 4.0-5.5, and may further include sorbitol or a suitable substitute therefor. In certain embodiments of the invention, anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein compositions may be prepared for storage by mixing the selected composition having the desired degree of purity with optional formulation agents (REMINGTON′S PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, supra) in the form of a lyophilized cake or an aqueous solution. Further, in certain embodiments, the, anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein product may be formulated as a lyophilizate using appropriate excipients such as sucrose.

The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can be selected for parenteral delivery. Alternatively, the compositions may be selected for inhalation or for delivery through the digestive tract, such as orally. Preparation of such pharmaceutically acceptable compositions is within the skill of the art.

The formulation components are present preferably in concentrations that are acceptable to the site of administration. In certain embodiments, buffers are used to maintain the composition at physiological pH or at a slightly lower pH, typically within a pH range of from about 5 to about 8.

When parenteral administration is contemplated, the therapeutic compositions for use in this invention may be provided in the form of a pyrogen-free, parenterally acceptable aqueous solution comprising the desired anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein in a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle. A particularly suitable vehicle for parenteral injection is sterile distilled water in which the, anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein is formulated as a sterile, isotonic solution, properly preserved. In certain embodiments, the preparation can involve the formulation of the desired molecule with an agent, such as injectable microspheres, bio-erodible particles, polymeric compounds (such as polylactic acid or polyglycolic acid), beads or liposomes, that may provide controlled or sustained release of the product which can be delivered via depot injection. In certain embodiments, hyaluronic acid may also be used, having the effect of promoting sustained duration in the circulation. In certain embodiments, implantable drug delivery devices may be used to introduce the desired antibody molecule.

Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can be formulated for inhalation. In these embodiments, anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding proteins are advantageously formulated as a dry, inhalable powder. In preferred embodiments, anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein inhalation solutions may also be formulated with a propellant for aerosol delivery. In certain embodiments, solutions may be nebulized Pulmonary administration and formulation methods therefore are further described in International Patent Application No. PCT/US94/001875, which is incorporated by reference and describes pulmonary delivery of chemically modified proteins.

It is also contemplated that formulations can be administered orally. Anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding proteins that are administered in this fashion can be formulated with or without carriers customarily used in the compounding of solid dosage forms such as tablets and capsules. In certain embodiments, a capsule may be designed to release the active portion of the formulation at the point in the gastrointestinal tract when bioavailability is maximized and pre-systemic degradation is minimized. Additional agents can be included to facilitate absorption of the anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein. Diluents, flavorings, low melting point waxes, vegetable oils, lubricants, suspending agents, tablet disintegrating agents, and binders may also be employed.

A pharmaceutical composition of the invention is preferably provided to comprise an effective quantity of one or a plurality of anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding proteins in a mixture with non-toxic excipients that are suitable for the manufacture of tablets. By dissolving the tablets in sterile water, or another appropriate vehicle, solutions may be prepared in unit-dose form. Suitable excipients include, but are not limited to, inert diluents, such as calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate or bicarbonate, lactose, or calcium phosphate; or binding agents, such as starch, gelatin, or acacia; or lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate, stearic acid, or talc.

Additional pharmaceutical compositions will be evident to those skilled in the art, including formulations involving anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding proteins in sustained- or controlled-delivery formulations. Techniques for formulating a variety of other sustained- or controlled-delivery means, such as liposome carriers, bio-erodible microparticles or porous beads and depot injections, are also known to those skilled in the art. See, for example, International Patent Application No. PCT/US93/00829, which is incorporated by reference and describes controlled release of porous polymeric microparticles for delivery of pharmaceutical compositions. Sustained-release preparations may include semipermeable polymer matrices in the form of shaped articles, e.g. films, or microcapsules. Sustained release matrices may include polyesters, hydrogels, polylactides (as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,919 and European Patent Application Publication No. EP 058481, each of which is incorporated by reference), copolymers of L-glutamic acid and gamma ethyl-L-glutamate (Sidman et al., 1983, Biopolymers 22:547-556), poly (2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate) (Langer et al., 1981, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 15:167-277 and Langer, 1982, Chem. Tech. 12:98-105), ethylene vinyl acetate (Langer et al., supra) or poly-D(−)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (European Patent Application Publication No. EP 133,988). Sustained release compositions may also include liposomes that can be prepared by any of several methods known in the art. See e.g., Eppstein et al., 1985, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:3688-3692; European Patent Application Publication Nos. EP 036,676; EP 088,046 and EP 143,949, incorporated by reference.

Pharmaceutical compositions used for in vivo administration are typically provided as sterile preparations. Sterilization can be accomplished by filtration through sterile filtration membranes. When the composition is lyophilized, sterilization using this method may be conducted either prior to or following lyophilization and reconstitution. Compositions for parenteral administration can be stored in lyophilized form or in a solution. Parenteral compositions generally are placed into a container having a sterile access port, for example, an intravenous solution bag or vial having a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle.

Once the pharmaceutical composition has been formulated, it may be stored in sterile vials as a solution, suspension, gel, emulsion, solid, crystal, or as a dehydrated or lyophilized powder. Such formulations may be stored either in a ready-to-use form or in a form (e.g., lyophilized) that is reconstituted prior to administration.

The invention also provides kits for producing a single-dose administration unit. The kits of the invention may each contain both a first container having a dried protein and a second container having an aqueous formulation. In certain embodiments of this invention, kits containing single and multi-chambered pre-filled syringes (e.g., liquid syringes and lyosyringes) are provided.

Indications

The methods and compositions of the present invention (including, for example, anti-IL-21 receptor antigen binding proteins, antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody derivatives, and other molecules of the present invention) can be used to treat a wide range of diseases, conditions, and indications. IL-21 has been shown to be essential for T-dependent antibody production in vitro (Kuchen at al. (2007) J Immunol 179:5886) and may contribute to the overproduction of interferon-gamma (“IFN-γ”) in SLE patients (Harigai et al. (2008) J Immunol 181: 2211) and stimulates other pro-inflammatory effector mechanisms and molecules that are associated with a variety of autoimmune and/or inflammatory conditions, including, for example, SLE (Bauer et al. (2006), PLoS Med. 2(12): 2274-2284; Armarianzas et al. (2009), IEEE Transactions on Inform. Tech. in Biomed. 13(3): 341-350), systemic sclerosis (Sozzani et al. (2010), Autoimmunity 43(3): 196-203), alopecia greata (Ghoreishi et al. (2010), Br. J. Dermatol. 163: 57-62), Graves' disease (Ruiz-R101 et al. (2011), J. Autoimmunity 36: 189-200), immune-ossious dysplasia spondyloenchondrodysplasia (SPENCD) (Briggs et al. (2011), Nat. Gen. 43(2): 127-132), Degos disease (Magro et al. (2011), Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 135: 599-610), Sjogren's syndrome (Sozzani et al. (2010), Autoimmunity 43(3): 196-203; Emamian et al. (2009), Genes Immun. 10: 285-296), antiphospholipid syndrome (Armarianzas et al. (2009), IEEE Transactions on Inform. Tech. in Biomed. 13(3): 341-350), inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,661), rheumatoid arthritis (Dawidowicz et al. (2011), Ann. Rheum. Dis. 70: 117-121), Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (Cunha-Neto (2010), Autoimmunity Rev. 10: 163-165), psoriasis (Pietrzak et al. (2008), Clin. Chim. Acta 394: 7-21), multiple sclerosis (van Baarsen et al. (2006), Genes and Immunity 7: 522-531), dermatomyositis (Somani et al. (2008), Arch. Dermatol. 145(4): 1341-1349), polimyositis (Sozzani et al. (2010), Autoimmunity 43(3): 196-203) panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (Maliniemi et al. (2010), J. Invest, Dermatol. 130; S54 (abstract 320)), type I diabetes (Reynier et al. (2010), Genes Immun. 11: 269-278), sarcoidosis (Lee et al. 2011, Ann. Dermatol. 23(2): 239-241; Kriegova et al. (2011), Eur. Respir. J. 38: 1136-1144), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH; Schmid et al. (2009), EMBO Molec. Med. 1(2): 112-124).

SLE is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology marked by autoreactivity to nuclear self antigens. Its clinical manifestations are so diverse that it is questionable whether it is truly a single disease or a group of related conditions (Kotzin (1996) Cell 85:303; Rahman et al. (2008) N. Engl. J. Med. 358:929). Symptoms can include the following: constitutional symptoms such as malaise, fatigue, fevers, anorexia, and weight loss; diverse skin symptoms including acute, transient facial rashes in adults, bullous disease, and chronic and disfiguring rashes of the head and neck; arthritis; muscle pain and/or weakness; cardiovascular symptoms such as mitral valve thickening, vegetations, regurgitation, stenosis, pericarditis, and ischemic heart disease, some of which can culminate in stroke, embolic disease, heart failure, infectious endocarditis, or valve failure; nephritis, which is the major cause of morbidity in SLE; neurological symptoms including cognitive dysfunction, depression, psychosis, coma, seizure disorders, migraine, and other headache syndromes, aseptic meningitis, chorea, stroke, and cranial neuropathies; hemotologic symptoms including leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, serositis, anemia, coagulation abnormalities, splenomegaly, and lymphadenopathy, various gastrointestinal abnormalities, and even death (Vratsanos et al., “Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,” Chapter 39 in Samter's Immunological Diseases, 6th Edition, Austen et al., eds., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa., 2001). In one embodiment, the compositions and/or methods of the present invention are used to treat, reduce, ameliorate, eliminate or prevent one or more of these symptoms in a patient thought to have SLE.

Severity of symptoms varies widely, as does the course of the disease. The disease activity of SLE patients can be rated using an instrument such as the Systemic Lupus Erythrmatosus Disease Activity Index (SELDAI), which provides a score for disease activity based on a score that takes into consideration the following symptoms, which are weighted according to clinicians' opinion of their importance: seizure, psychosis, organic brain syndrome, visual disturbance, cranial nerve disorder, lupus headache, vasculitis, arthritis, myositis, urinary casts, hematuria, proteinuria, pyuria, new rash, alopecia, mucosal ulcers, pleurisy, pericarditis, low complement, increased DNA binding, fever, thrombocytopenia, and leucopenia (Bombardier et al. (1992), Arthr. & Rheum. 35:630), the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference. The treatments described herein can be useful in lessening or eliminating symptoms of SLE as measured by SELDAI.

Another method for assessing disease activity in SLE is British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) index, which is a disease activity assessment system for SLE patients based on the principle of the physician's intention to treat (Stoll et al. (1996) Ann. Rheum Dis. 55: 756-760; Hay et al. (1993) Q. J. Med. 86:447). The portions of these references describing the BILAG are incorporated herein by reference. A BILAG score is assigned by giving separate numeric or alphabetic disease activity scores in each of eight organ-based systems, general (such as fever and fatigue), mucocutaneous (such as rash and alopecia, among many other symptoms), neurological (such as seizures, migraine headaches, and psychosis, among many other symptoms), musculoskeletal (such as arthritis), cardiorespiratory (such as cardiac failure and decreased pulmonary function), vasculitis and thrombosis, renal (such as nephritis), and hematological. The compositions and/or methods described herein can be useful in lessening or eliminating symptoms of SLE as measured by the BILAG index.

Discoid lupus is a particular form of chronic cutaneous lupus in which the patient has circular lesions that occur most commonly in sun-exposed areas. The lesions can leave disfiguring scars. Up to about 25% of SLE patients develop discoid lupus lesions at some point in the course of their disease. These lesions may occur in patients that have no other symptoms of SLE. The symptoms that relate specifically to skin in cutaneous forms of lupus can be scored using the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI), which takes into consideration both disease activity (including erythema, scaling, and hypertrophy of the skin in various areas, as well as mucus membrane lesions and alopecia) and disease-related damage (including dyspigmentation, scarring, atrophy, and panniculitis of the skin as well as scarring of the scalp). Such symptoms can be affected by a treatment for discoid lupus with an IL-21 receptor inhibitor. The CLASI is described in detail by Albrecht et al. (2005) J. Invest. Dermatol. 125:889. The portions of this article that describe what the CLASI is, what symptoms are included in it, and how to use it are incorporated herein by reference. The treatments described herein can be useful for lessening or eliminating symptoms of discoid lupus as measured by the CLASI.

Another cutaneous disease that can be mediated by IL-21 receptor is psoriasis. Symptoms of psoriasis include itchy, dry skin that can be pink/red in color, thickened and covered with flakes. It is a common condition and is episodic in nature, that is, patients can experience flares and periods of remission. There are five type of psoriasis: erythrodermic, guttate, inverse, plaque, and pustular. Plaque psoriasis is the most common type.

The severity of disease in psoriasis patients can be measured in a variety of ways. One way disease activity is commonly measured in clinical trials the PASI score. A PASI score can range from 0 to 72, with 72 being the most severe disease. For purposes of PASI assessment, the body is considered to consist of four sections, legs, torso (that is, stomach, chest, back, etc.), arms, and head, which are considered to have 40%, 30%, 20%, and 10% of a person's skin, respectively. For each section, the percent of the area of skin affected is estimated and transformed into a grade of from 0 to 6, with 0 being no affected skin and 6 being 90-100% of the skin of the body section in question being affected. The severity of disease is scored by separately considering three features of the affected skin, redness (erythema), scaling, and thickness, and assigning a severity score of from 0 to 4 for each feature for each body section. The sum of the severity scores for all three features for each body section is calculated, and this sum is multiplied by the weight of the respective section as determined by how much of the total skin that body section contains and by the percent of the body section affected. After this number is calculated for each body section, these numbers are added to yield the PASI score. Thus, the PASI score can be expressed as follows:

PASI = 0.1(score  for  percent  of  the  head  affected)(sum  of  3  severity  scores  for  the  head) + 0.2(score  for  percent  of  the  arms  affected)(sum  of  3  severity  scores  for   the  arms) + 0.3(score  for  percent  of  the  torso  affected)(sum  of  3  severity  scores  for  the  torso) + 0.4(score  for  percent  of  the  legs  affected)(sum  of  3  severity  scores  for  the  legs)

The descriptions of PASI scores in the following two references are incorporated by reference herein: Feldman et al. (2005) Ann. Rheum. Dis. 64:68 and Langley et al. (2004), J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 51:563.

Many clinical trials refer to changes in PASI score over the course of the study. For example, a PASI 75 at a particular time point in a clinical trial means that the PASI score of a patient has decreased by 75% as compared to that patient's PASI score at baseline. Similarly a PASI 50 or a PASI 90 denotes a 50% or 90% reduction in PASI score.

Another commonly used measure of psoriasis severity in clinical trials is the static Physicians Global Assessment (sPGA). The sPGA is typically a six category scale rating ranging from 0=none to 5=severe. ENBREL® (etanercept; Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Package Insert, 2008. A sPGA score of “clear” or “minimal” (sometimes alternately referred to as “almost clear”) requires no or minimal elevation of plaques, no or only very faint redness, and no scaling or minimal scaling over <5% of the area of the plaques. ENBREL® (etanercept), Package Insert, 2008. The individual elements of psoriasis plaque morphology or degree of body surface area involvement are not quantified. Nonetheless, sPGA scores correlate to some extent with PASI scores (Langley et al. (2004), J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 51:563). In one embodiment, methods and/or compositions described herein lessen, eliminate or prevent psoriasis symptoms as measured by a PASI or an sPGA score.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds nerves, which leads to inhibition or total blockage of nerve impulses. The disease is very heterogeneous in clinical presentation, and there is a wide variation in response to treatment as well (van Baarsen et al. (2006) Genes and Immunity 7:522). Environmental factors, possibly viral infection, as well as genetic susceptibility, are thought to play a role in causing MS. Symptoms can include loss of balance, muscle spasms, tremors, weakness, loss of ability to walk, loss of coordination, various bowel and bladder problems, numbness, pain, tingling, slurred speech, difficulty chewing and swallowing, double vision, loss of vision, uncontrollable eye movements, and depression, among many other possible symptoms. In many patients episodes in which symptoms occur are interspersed with long periods of remission. The methods described herein can lessen, eliminate or prevent one or more symptoms of MS.

Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease resulting in the destruction of insulin-producing β-cells in the pancreas, which leads to a lack of insulin. Antibodies against β-cell epitopes are detected in the sera of pre-diabetic patients, suggesting that there is an autoimmune process in progress during a long asymptomatic period that precedes the onset of clinical symptoms (Reynier et al. (2010) Genes and Immunity 11:269). The lack of insulin leads to high glucose levels in the blood and urine causing a variety of symptoms including frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, fatigue, and weight loss. It is generally treated with insulin, a treatment that must be continued indefinitely. The causes of type I diabetes are not completely clear, but are thought to include a genetic component. About thirty percent of non-diabetic siblings of diabetic patients are found to express high levels of RNAs encoded by a group genes activated by type I interferon, although diabetic patients do not overexpress these RNAs. Such overexpression may be an indication of future disease. The methods described herein may be useful to treat or prevent type I diabetes before and/or after the onset of clinical symptoms.

IL-21 receptor activity is also implicated in Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn's disease is chronic and debilitating inflammatory bowel disease that is thought to reflect a overly-active TH1-mediated immune response to the flora of the gut. The lesions of Crohn's disease can appear anywhere in the bowel and occasionally elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative colitis lesions, on the other hand, usually appear in the colon. The nature of the lesions is also different, but the diseases are sufficiently similar that is sometimes difficult to distinguish them clinically. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,661.

Evidence indicates that IL-21 receptor plays a role in IBDs. Elevated IL-21 and IL-21 receptor levels were found in biopsies taken from IBD patients and IL-21 was found to promote expression of inflammatory mediators in inflamed tissue explants cultures (Monteleone, 2005, Gastroenterology 128:687; Monteleone, 2006, Gut 55:1774). The compositions and methods described herein can be used to treat IBD patients, and/or reduce, prevent, or eliminate one or more symptoms of IBD.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that can affect essentially any tissue, but it primarily affects the lung and lymphatic systems. It is characterized by the presence of noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas in more than one organ system. Most commonly the granulomas are found in lung, lymph nodes, skin, liver, and/or spleen, among other possible sites. It can be fatal. For example, fibrosis of the lungs can lead to fatality (Carter and Hunninghake, “Sarcoidosis,” Chapter 47 in Samter's Immunological Diseases, 6th Edition, Austen et al., eds., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa., 2001). The compositions and/or methods described herein can be used to treat sarcoidosis patients, and/or to reduce, eliminate, or prevent symptoms of sarcoidosis.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and often fatal disease having clinical manifestations including fever, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, jaundice and rash. Laboratory findings associated with HLH include lymphocytosis and histiocytosis and the pathologic finding of hemophagocytosis. Pancytopenia, elevated serum ferritin levels, and abnormal liver enzymes are also frequently present. The compositions and/or methods described herein can be used to treat HLH patients and/or to reduce, eliminate, or prevent symptoms of HLH.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common inflammatory disease of synovial joints and is characterized by the productin of pro-inflammaatory cytokines/mediators by immune cells that infiltrate synovium. This causes proliferation of synovial fibroblasts, further release cytokine inflammatory molecules and formation of pannus tissue that eventually degrades cartilage and subchondral bone, leading to joint destructin, pain and disability. The compositions and/or methods described herein can be used to treat RA patients and/or to reduce, eliminate, or prevent symptoms of RA.

Therapeutic Methods and Administration of Antigen Binding Proteins

In one aspect, the present invention provides methods of treating a subject. The method can, for example, have a generally salubrious effect on the subject, e.g., it can increase the subject's expected longevity. Alternatively, the method can, for example, treat, prevent, cure, relieve, or ameliorate (“treat”) a disease, disorder, condition, or illness (“a condition”). Among the conditions to be treated in accordance with the present invention are conditions characterized by inappropriate expression or activity of IL-21 receptor and/or IL-21. In some such conditions, the expression or activity level is too high, and the treatment comprises administering an IL-21 receptor antagonist as described herein. In other such conditions, the expression or activity level is too low, and the treatment comprises administering an IL-21 receptor agonist as described herein. In other such conditions, the levels of IL-21 receptor and/or IL-21 activity are not necessarily elevated, but the subject is more sensitive to them.

In another aspect, the present invention provides methods of identifying subjects who are more likely to benefit from treatment using the compositions and/or methods of treatment of the present invention. Such methods can enable a caregiver to better tailor a therapeutic regimen to a particular subject's needs and reduce the likelihood of an ineffective or counterproductive course of treatment. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of determining whether a subject is a candidate for treatment using a composition or method as described herein comprising determining whether a target cell type in the subject expresses IL-21 receptor, wherein if the target cell type expresses IL-21 receptor, then the subject is a candidate for treatment. In another embodiment, the method comprises determining the approximate average number of IL-21 receptor molecules per target cell, wherein 10², 10³, 10⁴, 10⁵, or 10⁶ IL-21 receptor per cell indicates that the subject is a candidate for treatment. The approximate average number of IL-21 receptor molecules per target cell can be determined using any technique known in the art, for example, by staining a sample comprising cells of the target cell type with an IL-21 receptor binding molecule, and detecting the amount of IL-21 receptor binding molecule bound to the sample, where the amount of IL-21 receptor binding molecule detected is proportional to the average number of IL-21 receptor molecules in the sample. In another embodiment, the method comprises comparing the approximate average number of IL-21 receptor molecules per target cell to a reference standard, wherein if the approximate average number of IL-21 receptor molecules per target cell is greater than the reference standard, then the subject is more likely to benefit from treatment using the compositions and/or methods of treatment of the present invention. In another aspect, the method comprises determining whether IL-21 is present at elevated levels in the tissue of interest, e.g., in the vicinity of immune cells expressing IL-21 receptor. In another aspect, the method comprises determining whether a molecule downstream of IL-21 receptor is altered or activated in an IL-21 receptor-dependent fashion. Examples of such downstream molecules are STAT3, STAT1, STAT5, JAK1, and JAK3.

Certain methods provided herein comprise administering an IL-21 receptor binding antigen binding protein to a subject, thereby reducing an IL-21-induced biological response that plays a role in a particular condition. In particular embodiments, methods of the invention involve contacting endogenous IL-21 receptor with an IL-21 receptor binding antigen binding protein, e.g., via administration to a subject or in an ex vivo procedure.

The term “treatment” encompasses alleviation or prevention of at least one symptom or other aspect of a disorder, or reduction of disease severity, and the like. An antigen binding protein need not effect a complete cure, or eradicate every symptom or manifestation of a disease, to constitute a viable therapeutic agent. As is recognized in the pertinent field, drugs employed as therapeutic agents may reduce the severity of a given disease state, but need not abolish every manifestation of the disease to be regarded as useful therapeutic agents. Similarly, a prophylactically administered treatment need not be completely effective in preventing the onset of a condition in order to constitute a viable prophylactic agent. Simply reducing the impact of a disease (for example, by reducing the number or severity of its symptoms, or by increasing the effectiveness of another treatment, or by producing another beneficial effect), or reducing the likelihood that the disease will occur or worsen in a subject, is sufficient. One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method comprising administering to a patient an IL-21 receptor antagonist in an amount and for a time sufficient to induce a sustained improvement over baseline of an indicator that reflects the severity of the particular disorder.

As is understood in the pertinent field, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the molecules of the invention are administered to a subject in a manner appropriate to the indication. Pharmaceutical compositions may be administered by any suitable technique, including but not limited to parenterally, topically, or by inhalation. If injected, the pharmaceutical composition can be administered, for example, via intra-articular, intravenous, intramuscular, intralesional, intraperitoneal or subcutaneous routes, by bolus injection, or continuous infusion. Localized administration, e.g. at a site of disease or injury is contemplated, as are transdermal delivery and sustained release from implants. Delivery by inhalation includes, for example, nasal or oral inhalation, use of a nebulizer, inhalation of the antagonist in aerosol form, and the like. Other alternatives include eyedrops; oral preparations including pills, syrups, lozenges or chewing gum; and topical preparations such as lotions, gels, sprays, and ointments.

Use of antigen binding proteins in ex vivo procedures also is contemplated. For example, a patient's blood or other bodily fluid may be contacted with an antigen binding protein that binds IL-21 receptor ex vivo. The antigen binding protein may be bound to a suitable insoluble matrix or solid support material.

Advantageously, antigen binding proteins are administered in the form of a composition comprising one or more additional components such as a physiologically acceptable carrier, excipient or diluent. Optionally, the composition additionally comprises one or more physiologically active agents, for example, a second IL-21 receptor-inhibiting substance, an anti-inflammatory substance, an anti-angiogenic substance, a chemotherapeutic substance, or an analgesic substance. In various particular embodiments, the composition comprises one, two, three, four, five, or six physiologically active agents in addition to an IL-21 receptor binding antigen binding protein.

In one embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition comprise an antigen binding protein of the invention together with one or more substances selected from the group consisting of a buffer, an antioxidant such as ascorbic acid, a low molecular weight polypeptide (such as those having fewer than 10 amino acids), a protein, an amino acid, a carbohydrate such as glucose, sucrose or dextrins, a chelating agent such as EDTA, glutathione, a stabilizer, and an excipient. Neutral buffered saline or saline mixed with conspecific serum albumin are examples of appropriate diluents. In accordance with appropriate industry standards, preservatives such as benzyl alcohol may also be added. The composition may be formulated as a lyophilizate using appropriate excipient solutions (e.g., sucrose) as diluents. Suitable components are nontoxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations employed. Further examples of components that may be employed in pharmaceutical formulations are presented in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 16th Ed. (1980) and 20th Ed. (2000), Mack Publishing Company, Easton, Pa.

Kits for use by medical practitioners include an IL-21 receptor-inhibiting substance of the invention and a label or other instructions for use in treating any of the conditions discussed herein. In one embodiment, the kit includes a sterile preparation of one or more IL-21 receptor binding antigen binding proteins, which may be in the form of a composition as disclosed above, and may be in one or more vials.

Dosages and the frequency of administration may vary according to such factors as the route of administration, the particular antigen binding proteins employed, the nature and severity of the disease to be treated, whether the condition is acute or chronic, and the size and general condition of the subject. Appropriate dosages can be determined by procedures known in the pertinent art, e.g. in clinical trials that may involve dose escalation studies.

An IL-21 receptor inhibiting substance of the invention may be administered, for example, once or more than once, e.g., at regular intervals over a period of time. In particular embodiments, an antigen binding protein is administered over a period of at least a month or more, e.g., for one, two, or three months or even indefinitely. For treating chronic conditions, long-term treatment is generally most effective. However, for treating acute conditions, administration for shorter periods, e.g. from one to six weeks, may be sufficient. In general, the antigen binding protein is administered until the patient manifests a medically relevant degree of improvement over baseline for the chosen indicator or indicators.

Particular embodiments of the present invention involve administering to a subject an antigen binding protein at a dosage of from about 1 ng of antigen binding protein per kg of subject's weight per day (“1 ng/kg/day”) to about 100 mg/kg/day, from about 500 ng/kg/day to about 50 mg/kg/day, from about 5 μg/kg/day to about 20 mg/kg/day, and from about 5 mg/kg/day to about 20 mg/kg/day to a subject. In additional embodiments, an antigen binding protein is administered to adults one time per week, two times per week, three times per week, four times per week, five times per week, six times per week, or seven or more times per week, to treat an IL-21 receptor mediated disease, condition or disorder, e.g., a medical disorder disclosed herein. If injected, the effective amount of antigen binding protein per adult dose may range from, for example, 1-20 mg/m², or from about 5-12 mg/m². Alternatively, a flat dose may be administered; the amount may range from 1-300 mg/dose. One range for a flat dose is about 20-30 mg per dose. In one embodiment of the invention, a flat dose of 25 mg/dose is repeatedly administered by injection. If a route of administration other than injection is used, the dose is appropriately adjusted in accordance with standard medical practices. One example of a therapeutic regimen involves injecting a dose of about 20-30 mg of antigen binding protein to one to three times per week over a period of at least three weeks, though treatment for longer periods may be necessary to induce the desired degree of improvement. For pediatric subjects (age 4-17), one exemplary suitable regimen involves the subcutaneous injection of 0.4 mg/kg, up to a maximum dose of 25 mg of antigen binding protein administered two or three times per week.

Particular embodiments of the methods provided herein involve subcutaneous injection of from 0.5 mg to 10 mg, preferably from 3 to 5 mg, of an antigen binding protein, once or twice per week. Another embodiment is directed to pulmonary administration (e.g., by nebulizer) of 3 or more mg of antigen binding protein once a week.

Examples of therapeutic regimens provided herein comprise subcutaneous injection of an antigen binding protein once a week, at a dose of 1.5 to 3 mg, to treat a condition in which IL-21 receptor signaling plays a role. Examples of such conditions are provided herein and are known in the art. Administration of antigen binding protein can be continued until a desired result is achieved, e.g., the subject's symptoms subside. Treatment may resume as needed, or, alternatively, maintenance doses may be administered.

Other examples of therapeutic regimens provided herein comprise subcutaneous or intravenous administration of a dose of 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, or 20 milligrams of an IL-21 receptor inhibitor of the present invention per kilogram body mass of the subject (mg/kg). The dose can be administered once to the subject, or more than once at a certain interval, for example, once a day, three times a week, twice a week, once a week, once every two weeks, once every three weeks, three times a month, twice a month, once a month, once every two months, once every three months, once every six months, or once a year. The duration of the treatment, and any changes to the dose and/or frequency of treatment, can be altered or varied during the course of treatment in order to meet the particular needs of the subject.

In another embodiment, an antigen binding protein is administered to the subject in an amount and for a time sufficient to maintain the concentration of the antigen binding protein at or above a desired level, to maintain the amount, concentration, or other state of a biomarker at a desired level, or to induce an improvement, preferably a sustained improvement, in at least one symptom or other indicator that reflects the severity of the disorder that is being treated. Various indicators that reflect the extent of the subject's illness, disease or condition may be assessed for determining whether the amount and time of the treatment is sufficient. Such indicators include, for example, clinically recognized indicators of disease severity, symptoms, or manifestations of the disorder in question. In one embodiment, an improvement is considered to be sustained if the subject exhibits the improvement on at least two occasions separated by two to four weeks. The degree of improvement generally is determined by a physician, who may make this determination based on signs, symptoms, biopsies, or other test results, and who may also employ questionnaires that are administered to the subject, such as quality-of-life questionnaires developed for a given disease.

Combination Therapies

Treatments exist for most IL-21 receptor mediated diseases, even though many of these treatments are effective only to a limited extent or for only a subset of patients, and/or have substantial toxicities that limit patient tolerance of treatment. The IL-21 receptor inhibitors described herein can be combined with other existing therapies for IL-21 receptor-mediated diseases.

In particular, an SLE patient can be treated concurrently with another therapy for SLE plus an IL-21 receptor-inhibitor such as an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody as described herein. Existing therapies for SLE include glucocorticoids, such as prednisone, prednisolone, and methylprednisolone, antimalarials such as hydroxychloroquine, quinacrine, and chloroquine, retinoic acid, aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclophosphamide, dehydroepiandrosterone, mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, chlorambucil, methotrexate, tacrolimus, dapsone, thalidomide, leflunomide, cyclosporine, anti-CD20 antibodies such as rituximab, BLyS inhibitors such as belimumab, anti-IFN-γ antibodies, and fusion proteins such as abatacept.

In other embodiments a patient suffering from an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, can be concurrently treated with a therapy for IBD plus an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody as described herein. Existing therapies for IBD include sulfasalazine, 5-aminosalicylic acid and its derivatives (such as olsalazine, balsalazide, and mesalamine), anti-IFN-γ antibodies, anti-TNF antibodies (including infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, and certolizumab pegol), corticosteroids for oral or parenteral administration (including prednisone, methylprednisone, budesonide, or hydrocortisone), adrenocorticotropic hormone, antibiotics (including metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, or rifaximin), azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, and thalidomide.

In other embodiments, a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis can be concurrently treated with a drug used for RA therapy plus an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody as described herein. Therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (such aspirin and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors), disease modifying anti-inflammatory drugs (DMARDs)(such as methotrexate, leflunomide, and sulfasalazine), anti-malarials (such as hydroxychloroquine), cyclophosphamide, D-penicillamine, azathioprine, gold salts, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (such as etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, and certolizumab pegol), CD20 inhibitors such as rituximab, IL-1 antagonists such as anakinra, IL-6 inhibitors such as tocilizumab, inhibitors of Janus kinases (JAK) (such as tofacitinib), abatacept, and glucocorticoids, among others.

In another embodiment, a patient suffering from sarcoidosis can be concurrently treated with a drug used for sarcoidosis therapy plus an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody as described herein. Therapies for sarcoidosis include corticosteroids (may be topical or parenteral, depending on symptoms), salicylates (such as aspirin), anti-IFN-γ antibodies, and colchicine. Choroquine has been reported to be helpful with cutaneous symptoms. Methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have also been used in sarcoidosis. Various other treatment strategies can be helpful for some of the many different symptoms of sarcoidosis. For example, heart arrhythmias can be treated with antiarrhythmics or a pacemaker. Hypercalcemia can be treated with hydration, reduction in calcium and vitamin D intake, avoidance of sunlight, or ketoconazole. Skin lesions can be treated with hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, or thalidomide.

In another embodiment, a patient suffering from HLH can be concurrently treated with a drug used for HLH therapy plus an anti-IL-21 receptor antibody as described herein. Therapies for HLH include corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, IL-1 inhibiting agents such as anakinra, VP-16, etoposide, cyclosporine A, dexamethasone, various other chemotherapeutics, bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant, anti-IFN-γ antibodies, and antiviral and/or antibacterial agents.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Lead Candidate Selection

This example provides a method of screening for anti-IL-21 receptor antibodies.

Primary Screening

Two forms of human IL-21 receptor were used as antigens for XENOMOUSE™ (Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif.; transgenic mice engineered to generate human antibodies) immunization. One form was a soluble human Fc-fusion (“IL-21R.Fc”) and the other was a full-length wild-type form. Both proteins were expressed using transient 293T cells. Hybridomas were generated using standard procedures using two pools of mice: IL-21R.Fc alone, designated as campaign #3 (harvest 5) and IL-21R/CHO stables, designated as campaign #4 (harvest 6). For campaign #3, the anti-IL-21R specific binders were identified by FMAT using full length wild-type IL-21R expressed on the surface of stable CHO cells. For campaign #4, the antigen-specific binders were identified by FMAT using IL-21R/293 transient cells. These primary screens resulted in the identification of 692 (campaign #3) and 128 (campaign #4) antigen-specific binders. These panels were then tested for binding to endogenous human IL-21R on RAMOS cells by FACs. In this screen, 384 of the original 692 campaign #3 binders and 58 of the original 128 campaign #4 binders showed some degree of detectable binding to the RAMOS cells. The combined panel of 442 IL-21R specific binders was advanced to additional characterization screens.

The primary selection criterion for antibodies with antagonist activity was a flow cytometry-based receptor-ligand blocking assay using RAMOS cells and labeled IL-21 ligand. The secondary selection criterion was cross-reactive binding to cyno IL-21R. This assay was also run by flow cytometry using full length cyno IL-21R transiently expressed on the surface of 293Ts. These two selection criteria resulted in the identification of 26 hybridomas of interest to advance to subcloning and scale up.

Three antibodies with functional antagonism and cross-reactive binding to cyno IL-21R were subcloned as full IgG constructs and sequence analyzed. These antibodies were 34H7, which was derived from the soluble immunogen, and 30G3 and 29G8, which were derived from the cell based immunogen.

Cloning and Sequence Analysis

The 30G3 light and heavy chain variable regions were PCR amplified from independent sub-clones derived from hybridomas and then DNA sequenced. The light chain variable region was cloned onto a kappa light constant region. The gamma chain variable region was cloned onto an IgG2 constant region. 30G3 was determined by sequence analysis to be composed of a VK3|L27|JK4 kappa light chain variable region and a VH4|4-59|JH4 gamma variable region. The heavy chain constant region (CH2) of 30G3 contained one N-linked glycosylation consensus site. The theoretical pI of the full molecule was calculated to be 8.6 (with processed termini) and empirically determined to be 8.76. 34H7 and 29G8 were cloned and sequence analyzed in a similar manner

The table below lists salient features.

TABLE 1 Sequence Parameter 34H7 29G8 30G3 HC isotype huIgG2 huIgG2 huIgG2 LC type huKappa huKappa huKappa Non germ Non germ Non germ Non germ line framework line Germ line line Germ line line Germ line residues residue residue residue residue residue residue L 12 V_VH S 143 T_VH A 48 P_VH R 30 S_VH T 102 A_VL M 80 I_VH H 94 S_VH V 2 I_VL V 98 A_VH F 57 Y_VL S 108 R_VH N 94 S_VL S 90 T_VL L 103 V_VL Uncommon framework Same as above Same as above Same as above residues * Freq. VH/VL subtype ** 82.29%/18.75% 6.57%/5.68% 21.53%/55.36% VH/VL domain subtype VH5|5-51/VK3|L2  VH3|3-33/VK1|L5  VH4|4-59/VK3|A27 Consensus N-glycosylation HC: NST at 412 HC: NST at 412 HC: NST at 412 sites (CH2) (CH2) (CH2) Number of residues in HC 12 14 7 CDR3 Whole molecule theoretical pI 8.55 8.67 8.6 (pI with processed N- and C- terminal residues Immunogenicity (number 1 1 0 predicted agretopes) * Uncommon residues are defined as being represented at less than 10% positional frequency within their respective family in the IMGT/Kabat database. ** The subtype frequency within a family in the IMGT/Kabat database.

Example 2 Functional Screening

Several assays were used to test antibody activity. The primary assay for ranking potency was the B/T cell co-culture described above because it involved inhibition of native IL-21 produced by T cells in close proximity to responding B cells. Exogenous IL-21 assays were also used to measure antibody potency. IL-21+CD40L stimulation was used to stimulate IgA from B cells. IL-21 alone was used to stimulate IFN-γ production in CD8 T cells. Lastly, STAT3 phosphorylation was measured in IL-21-stimulated whole blood. For affinity measurements with recombinant IL-21R, both Biacore and KinExA were used. Affinity measurements were also conducted on whole cells by flow cytometry, using an IL-21R-expressing cell line. The results of these assays for three mAbs are shown in Table 2. The values indicate concentration in pM (picomolar) at which IL-21 activity is inhibited by 50% (IC-50). Lower values represent more potent inhibition. For affinity measurements, lower values also represent higher affinity.

TABLE 2 Potency and affinity of IL-21R mAbs IC-50 (pM) CD8 T K_(D) (pM) B/T co-culture (IgA)¹ B cell (IgA)² (IFNγ)³ hu pSTAT3⁴ cyno pSTAT3 Biacore Kinexa On Clone exp1 exp2 exp3 exp4 exp5 exp1 exp2 exp1 exp2 B T B T hu cyno hu cells⁵ 34H7 16 9 11 17 10 18 49 79 27 14 8 4 13 35 43 6 15 29G8 29 8 17 17 14 22 47 139 48 137 33 65 286 78 166 26 16 30G3 44 31 24 24 19 58 31 203 35 36 10 9 33 16 78 15 33 Assay protocols ¹B/T co-culture. Mitomicin C-treated human T cells were cultured with B cells in anti-CD3 antibody pre-coated 96-well plates as described in Kuchen et al. (2007) J Immunol 179: 5886, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Supernatants were collected for IgA ELISA on day 6. ²B cell IgA production. Negatively selected human peripheral blood B cells were cultured in vitro with IL-21 and CD40L. On day 6, supernatants were collected for human IgG ELISA analysis. ³CD8 IFN-γ production. Purified human CD8 T cells were cultured with IL-21. IFN-γ was measured in the supernatant on day 3. ⁴Whole blood pSTAT3 stimulation. Human or cynomolgus monkey whole blood was pre-incubated with IL-21R mAbs titrations at 37° C. for 1 hr and stimulated with IL-21. Cells were fixed, permeabilized and stained for pSTAT3 and cell surface markers. ⁵Cell based K_(D) measurement. Ramos cells (Human Burkitt's lymphoma) were incubated with a titration of IL-21R mAbs and bound antibody was detected with anti-huIgG by flow cytometry.

Example 3 Cross-Competition Binding Assay

This example provides an assay for determining whether two antibodies cross-compete for binding to the extracellular domain of human IL-21 receptor.

A cross-competition binding assay is performed using the BIACORE™ 3000 instrument (Biacore International AB, Uppsala, Sweden and Piscataway, N.J.), following the manufacturer's protocols. A recombinant human IL-21 receptor::FC chimera is immobilized onto the dextran layer of a CM5 biosensor chip using amine coupling. Chips are prepared using 10 mM acetate buffer pH 5.0 as the immobilization buffer at a protein density of 940 RU. Deactivation of unreacted N-hydroxysuccinimide esters is performed using 1 M ethanolamine hydrochloride, pH 8.5. Purified antibodies or antibody fragments are diluted to a concentration of 50 nM in HBS-EP running buffer (0.01 M HEPES pH 7.4, 0.15 M NaCl, 3 mM EDTA, 0.005% Polysorbate 20). A first anti-IL-21 receptor antibody is chosen and then injected across the flow cell for 600 seconds at a rate of 10 μL/min. After the injection is complete, a second anti-IL-21 receptor antibody is chosen and injected across the same flow cell for 600 seconds at a rate of 10 μL/min. (As a positive control for cross-competition, the first and second antibody can be the same antibody. As a negative control for cross-competition, the first antibody can be an antibody that does not specifically bind to human IL-21 receptor.) The sensor surface is regenerated by a 12 second injection of 100 mM H₃PO₄ (25 μL/min). After regeneration, the second antibody is now injected across the flow cell for 600 seconds at a rate of 10 μL/min. After the injection is complete, the first antibody is injected across the same flow cell for 600 seconds at a rate of 10 μL/min. The first and second antibodies are said to cross-compete for binding to human IL-21 receptor if each reduces the binding of the other in this assay by at least 80%. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An isolated IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein, wherein said antigen binding protein comprises either: a. the heavy chain variable domain and the light chain variable domain of antibody 29G2 or 30G3; or b. the CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 of the light chain variable domain sequence, and CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 of the heavy chain variable domain sequence of the antibody 29G2 or 30G3 respectively; or c. the heavy chain variable domain of the 29G2 group or the 30G3 group of FIG. 12 and the light chain variable domain selected from the corresponding group of FIG. 13; or d. the light chain variable domain of the 29G2 group or the 30G3 group of FIG. 13, and the heavy chain variable domain selected from the corresponding group of FIG. 12; or e. the heavy chain CDR 1, 2, and 3 sequences of the antibodies of the 29G2 group or the 30G3 group, and light chain CDR 1, 2, and 3 sequences selected from the antibodies within the corresponding group of FIG.
 13. 2. The IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of claim 1, comprising: a. the heavy chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; or b. the lambda light chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; or c. the kappa light chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; or d. the heavy chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7 and either the lambda light constant region disclosed in FIG. 7 or the kappa light chain constant region disclosed in FIG. 7; or e. the heavy chain constant region of the 29G2 or 30G3 antibody; or f. the light chain constant region of the 29G2 or 30G3 antibody; or g. the heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 8 and the light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 9, wherein said heavy chain and said light chain sequence are from the same antibody 29G2 or 30G3; or h. the heavy chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 10 and the light chain sequence disclosed in FIG. 11, wherein said heavy chain and said light chain sequence are from the same antibody 29G2 or 30G3.
 3. The isolated IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of claim 1 comprising: a. a human antibody; b. a humanized antibody; c. a chimeric antibody; d. a monoclonal antibody; e. a polyclonal antibody; f. a recombinant antibody; g. an antigen-binding antibody fragment; h. a single chain antibody; i. a diabody; j. a triabody; k. a tetrabody; l. a Fab fragment; m. a F(ab′)2 fragment; n. a domain antibody; o. an IgD antibody; p. an IgE antibody; q. an IgM antibody; r. an IgG1 antibody; s. an IgG2 antibody; t. an IgG3 antibody; u. an IgG4 antibody; or v. an IgG4 antibody having at least one mutation in a hinge region that alleviates a tendency to form intra-H chain disulfide bond.
 4. The isolated IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of claim 1 wherein said antigen binding protein inhibits binding of IL-21 to IL-21 receptor.
 5. The isolated IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of claim 1, wherein said antigen binding protein shows activity in the B/T co-culture assay, the B cell IgA production assay, the CD8 IFN-γ production assay, or the whole blood pSTAT3 stimulation assay, of Example
 3. 6. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the IL-21 receptor antigen binding protein of claim
 1. 